Windows 8 - Developer Preview Options

[Jeruselem]

Yes, Metro is touch-screen-centric. Guess what guys? That's the point.

How many desktops have touchscreens? How many laptops have touchscreens? Even if every single one did why would I want to be using a touchscreen where I have to have my arms out horizontal in front of me all day?

Hopefully they can fix it before release, but as it stands its a cludge.

For a netbook and laptop use, you are always within arms length under normal usage. Desktops are a different matter of course.
In the future, I can see touchscreens as normal since they are everywhere in our smartphones and tablet computers now.

This post has been edited by Jeruselem: Sep 16 2011, 10:44 AM

[atg]

How many desktops have touchscreens? How many laptops have touchscreens?

Ask that question again in 2-3 years, when Windows 8 will be released.

IIRC the hints at the realease date point to late next year - hardly 2-3 years...

Even if every single one did why would I want to be using a touchscreen where I have to have my arms out horizontal in front of me all day?

Because if you had a touch screen, you wouldn't keep the screen at arm's length like you do now with non-touch screens.

Think outside the box a bit, broheim.

So I'm going to keep a 22" or bigger screen (based on what most of my clients use) within approx 40-50cm of my face all day? What about those that use multiple screens? Eye-strain ahoy... Not to mention that monitor manufacturers havn't yet made a screen that automagically removes the greasy finger marks that will get all over it. Its also easier to flick the mouse from side to side of the screen than to have to move your whole arm to do the same.

I really don't see the point of trying to shoehorn an interface into a format that doesn't really suit it :/

In the future, I can see touchscreens as normal since they are everywhere in our smartphones and tablet computers now.

I see it going either way. If costs come down enough then touch might become a standard monitor feature, if costs don't come down why pay for a feature that doesn't suit the format? I suppose only time will tell how much the average person will use touch when it comes to desktops/laptops.

[SquallStrife]

IIRC the hints at the realease date point to late next year - hardly 2-3 years...

At this stage, when we don't even have a beta, I would take any "hint" of a release date with a massive grain of salt.

So I'm going to keep a 22" or bigger screen (based on what most of my clients use) within approx 40-50cm of my face all day? What about those that use multiple screens? Eye-strain ahoy... Not to mention that monitor manufacturers havn't yet made a screen that automagically removes the greasy finger marks that will get all over it. Its also easier to flick the mouse from side to side of the screen than to have to move your whole arm to do the same.

I really don't see the point of trying to shoehorn an interface into a format that doesn't really suit it :/

Bla bla bla, you're still thinking in terms of what you and your "clients" are using right now, and concluding that because it's bad for you, that it's bad period.

A PC with a touch screen needn't be laid out in the same way as our decades-old setup is today. Like I said, think outside the box.

In the future, I can see touchscreens as normal since they are everywhere in our smartphones and tablet computers now.

I see it going either way. If costs come down enough then touch might become a standard monitor feature, if costs don't come down why pay for a feature that doesn't suit the format? I suppose only time will tell how much the average person will use touch when it comes to desktops/laptops.

You can get a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen on a sub-$100 phone TODAY, the price can only go down. Touch-screen desktops like the HP TouchSmart are already available at reasonable price-points.

[atg]

Bla bla bla, you're still thinking in terms of what you and your "clients" are using right now, and concluding that because it's bad for you, that it's bad period.

A PC with a touch screen needn't be laid out in the same way as our decades-old setup is today. Like I said, think outside the box.

bla bla bla think outside the box fairly dust don't actually provide anything concrete bla bla bla

You've told me twice to think 'outside the box', but havn't actually provided yourself any suggestions as to how things could be done differently. How would you propose that a PC with a touch screen gets setup? Say for a home environment and for a general office environment.

I recognise that I do tend to see they cons of things before I see the pros, so I'm all prepared to be shown that it can work.

You can get a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen on a sub-$100 phone TODAY, the price can only go down. Touch-screen desktops like the HP TouchSmart are already available at reasonable price-points.

Considering there are concerns with supply of the materials used in making touchscreens I wouldn't say that that the price can only go down. IIRC there are some interesting developments with plastics to replace the rare earths currently used but I've not heard if they are feasible yet or in the near future in a mass produceable method.

[Nich...]

I don't think Metro will bother alot of people when used on a touch capable device. It just doesn't seem to work well with a desktop/laptop environment with the conventional point & click interface.

Nail, head, all that.

I expect that, in the coming years as touch screens become more prevalent on desktop and laptops, this is going to become less of an issue.

Sure, you've used a mouse for a couple of decades and so it seems intuitive, but it means you have to do things serially.

This post has been edited by Nich...: Sep 16 2011, 01:10 PM

[Jeruselem]

It's good Windows is embracing touchscreen technology, because our desktop and portable devices will be touchscreen as default one day.
Apple are merging the Mac OS X and IOS too in a way.

This post has been edited by Jeruselem: Sep 16 2011, 01:21 PM

[fliptopia]

This will get people to finally use the touch part of their touch screen laptops. Seens so many and people just aren't interested in using the toiuch bit coz every windows up to now was meant for a mouse and keyboard. The biggest issue I see here is the non-standard layouts from a phone support point of view. Control Panel can be anywhere win+r still works to get a run box at least. There are a lot of things that are not clear at all for people who haven't used wp7 or zune before. I think it may end up turning a few people to mac, if they were just holding on to windows for the familiar interface... Well that's the impression after 10 mins play

[mudg3]

https://blogs.msdn.com/themes/blogs/generic...n&GroupKeys

Microsoft's comments on feedback from Metro. A pretty good read.

[ameel]

Forget about touchscreen. Win8 should be using kinect as a natural interface. Now, THAT would be awesome (y)

[kikz]

Forget about touchscreen. Win8 should be using kinect as a natural interface. Now, THAT would be awesome (y)

Kinect for Windows is out soon.

[Jeruselem]

* Pictures someone dancing in the Microsoft Word app *

[ameel]

Forget about touchscreen. Win8 should be using kinect as a natural interface. Now, THAT would be awesome (y)

Kinect for Windows is out soon.

Yup yup. That'd be perfect for windows8. It's hard to picture using virtual keyboard through kinect though

[Jeruselem]

Forget about touchscreen. Win8 should be using kinect as a natural interface. Now, THAT would be awesome (y)

Kinect for Windows is out soon.

Yup yup. That'd be perfect for windows8. It's hard to picture using virtual keyboard through kinect though

Could be a bit tiring to type out that assignment ...

[ameel]

Microsoft have been moving towards touchscreen since windows vista with their windows vista table thingy, and all those devices you just put on the table that auto-detects and auto-syncs with the OS and you can transfer data between table/device without hooking up a single cable. I'm pretty sure I saw that tech used in the James Bond Movie, Casino Royale, was it? or the other one...?

Back then i was like: "WOAH! Touchscreen on my 22"/24" lcds are only a few months away, or at most in the next year or 2" . Guess what, it's been practically 5 years since. Not much improvement for consumer/enduser touchscreen -.- even though the big microsoft windows-vista tables have sold quite a bit.

Windows 7 came with even better features for touchscreen, but touchscreen availability remained poor, and now windows 8...

Difference from now and then is 5 years have already passed. sooner or later, the tech will be readily available, but what's more important is KINECT! If microsoft decides to and properly develops and interfaces windows 8 with Kinect as a natural user interface, then that will be freaking epic.

The kinect tech is already here. It's only a matter of re-adapting the touchscreen user interface to Kinect. that's my 2c on the issue

[.:Cyb3rGlitch:.]

Kinect in its current form will do nothing to change how users interact with their PC.

[ameel]

Kinect in its current form will do nothing to change how users interact with their PC.

you do realise microsoft's coming out with a modified kinect for pc (shorter distance needed for usage).

that said, it's not really about "kinect in its current form" that's gonna change how users interact with pc. The hardware IS READY AND PERFECT for changing how users interact with their PC.

It's literally a matter of paradigm shift at the user interface level - how will microsoft fully use/integrate kinect as a natural user interface. you can youtube examples of people developing their own kinect-based interface on windows. a more coordinated and funded effort would definitely see better results.

[kikz]

It's literally a matter of paradigm shift at the user interface level - how will microsoft fully use/integrate kinect as a natural user interface. you can youtube examples of people developing their own kinect-based interface on windows. a more coordinated and funded effort would definitely see better results.

I reckon

A new Surface isn't far away

This post has been edited by kikz: Dec 23 2011, 07:34 AM

[ameel]

It's literally a matter of paradigm shift at the user interface level - how will microsoft fully use/integrate kinect as a natural user interface. you can youtube examples of people developing their own kinect-based interface on windows. a more coordinated and funded effort would definitely see better results.

I reckon

A new Surface isn't far away

Microsoft surface, that's what i was talking about before xD but seriously, that was sorta fail, which I don't understand why :/ but what's their angle with Surface 2? How is it improved?

realtime 3d holographic images & kinect-like natural user interface = WIN (y)

[.:Cyb3rGlitch:.]

you do realise microsoft's coming out with a modified kinect for pc (shorter distance needed for usage).

that said, it's not really about "kinect in its current form" that's gonna change how users interact with pc. The hardware IS READY AND PERFECT for changing how users interact with their PC.

It's literally a matter of paradigm shift at the user interface level - how will microsoft fully use/integrate kinect as a natural user interface. you can youtube examples of people developing their own kinect-based interface on windows. a more coordinated and funded effort would definitely see better results.

That's lovely. It still won't change anything.

[ameel]

you do realise microsoft's coming out with a modified kinect for pc (shorter distance needed for usage).

that said, it's not really about "kinect in its current form" that's gonna change how users interact with pc. The hardware IS READY AND PERFECT for changing how users interact with their PC.

It's literally a matter of paradigm shift at the user interface level - how will microsoft fully use/integrate kinect as a natural user interface. you can youtube examples of people developing their own kinect-based interface on windows. a more coordinated and funded effort would definitely see better results.

That's lovely. It still won't change anything.

so skeptic. ah well, we'll see ^__^