Any mod for the surface hub app?

Any mod for the surface hub app? - Windows 8 General

I'm not quite sure if this is the right forum, but I figured this would be the right place to ask. I'm using a windows 10 tablet with an n-trig digitizer, so I went out and got a surface pen. It works great! but I am unable to remap the keys present on the pen. Upon doing some research, the keys are remapped through the surface hub app, however, when I try to install this app, it fails to load at all, saying that the app is designed for surface computers only.
It seems at one time, Microsoft had planned to release a version of this app for non-surface computers, but it seems those plans have fallen through the cracks. Would it be possible to modify the current Surface hub app into thinking that I have a surface pc? If not, maybe someone else has experience with using a surface pen on a non-surface pc, and could point me in the right direction?
Thank you.

Related

Using A500 as Drawing Tab (Wi-Fi or USB) - APP?

As the healine reads I'm looking for an application to link the Tablet to my Windows 7 PC and use it as a drawing tablet.
Any one aware of an app that can do this?
I have searched the net, I did find something similar like 3 months back but I didn't save the link and can't remember what in the great pavement special I typed in.
Thanks for all the help.

deathofkai said:
As the healine reads I'm looking for an application to link the Tablet to my Windows 7 PC and use it as a drawing tablet.
Any one aware of an app that can do this?
I have searched the net, I did find something similar like 3 months back but I didn't save the link and can't remember what in the great pavement special I typed in.
Thanks for all the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't answer your question, but IMHO I wouldn't use the tab for this because the screen is not precise enough for drawing.

It is possible to remotely access your desktop on your tablet but I don't think you can use the pressure sensitive drawing abilities of tablet on your pc.
The easiest way is using sketchbook pro. Theres plenty of youtube videos on how awesome it is.

And adobe is releasing their new apps for tablets soon.

PC is becoming tablet?

Anyone here is watching CES 2012 on facebook?
Right now that lady is demo-ing the Windows 8 Tablet, i like the original idea about Windows 8 is bringing Metro UI to Desktop, but i think the marketplace / apps for Desktop is something stupid to me.
I think Microsoft has gone too far and almost completely forgotten about PC hardcore User. Ebay apps when we have IE/Firefox/Chrome for Ebay.com?
Maybe i am wrong over here, because until now i have no clue about the idea behind Marketplace for PC.
What do you guys think?

i think such idea of app market on the W8 is for the tablet, that is ok though, as long as they figure out away to port win32 software to run on apps, i would be the first one to get in line to get the tablet, other than that, i am good with my asus transformer

Strike_Eagle said:
Anyone here is watching CES 2012 on facebook?
Right now that lady is demo-ing the Windows 8 Tablet, i like the original idea about Windows 8 is bringing Metro UI to Desktop, but i think the marketplace / apps for Desktop is something stupid to me.
I think Microsoft has gone too far and almost completely forgotten about PC hardcore User. Ebay apps when we have IE/Firefox/Chrome for Ebay.com?
Maybe i am wrong over here, because until now i have no clue about the idea behind Marketplace for PC.
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For tablets, maybe netbooks with a little screen, its a good OS. But... on a 24 inch Monitor? Serious, I tested the preview and in Metro the handling with mouse and keyboards sucks! It even interrups the productivity flow in the "desktop app". If I am on the classic desktop and want to open a programm from the start menu: Why do I have to go back to the start screen and type.
This is so unintuitive and doesn't suit to the desktop design at all...

the thing is, Microsoft has focus more on the Tablet than our - PC user.
You can see almost everything on the Keynote of Steve on CES 2012 (which has just ended ) is focus on the mobility of the technology nowday.
Tablet with ARM/ x64 / x86 , nVIDIA Tegra are all cool. But hand down, they didn't notice anything about the original idea of PC , yes, when i mean the mouse and the keyboard.
The idea behind Marketplace for Windows 8 PC is something still new. And i hope, the marketplace is like a place where we can search all kind of applications for PC around the web without having google/bing it around.
Don't get me wrong , i am a Microsoft fan and i own a Windows Phone.

Strike_Eagle said:
The idea behind Marketplace for Windows 8 PC is something still new. And i hope, the marketplace is like a place where we can search all kind of applications for PC around the web without having google/bing it around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats the point! The marketplace is just for Metro apps and I don't understand why I should use an app if I have a internetbrowser (ebay, etc). The apps are optimized for small screens so it's just annoying to swipe with your mouse or use some strange shortcuts to show up the menu bar if you have enough space to display everything you need.

The link for whoever missed the keynote:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/ces/liveevent.aspx
(need silverlight)
^
Yes. The thing is, there is no point from moving to use an app to control the web-based service like Ebay or Amazon. I mean, if you have a touch screen, you would love to do that because i know that typing on the touch screen is such pain in the ass.
But with PC is different, a mouse and keyboard are far more advanced than a touch screen. We have been using our browser to do most stuffs, we don't need an app to do that. For example, i can have IE9 , and i can do most stuffs from betting on Ebay to buying stuffs on Amazon without having anything extra installed except for some flash plug-ins. So why choosing install many different apps and make your PC slower while you can get everything just by a click of a mouse on the icon of the browser?
Many people would say to me that if i don't like it then don't use it, but that isn't a point. It is fine that Microsoft try to make a buck over tablets , but they seem to be forgetting about PC user like us, i hear nothing about the original PC in the keynote except some new Laptops and Intel's new path for the future. That's why i am little bit disappointed.

CES is all about what is cool and hip today. Right now that is mobile devices so MS's CES pitch focuses on Windows 8. MS is leaving CES after this year so they can focus on getting the message they want out without having to follow the hot theme and control better the presentation of their message. You can expect that message to be heavily based around HTML 5 and web based apps to the detriment of those that develop windows apps.

I'm new to Windows 8 in general so be gentle...
(These are meant as general comments, not picking on you Strike_Eagle, you were just the last post I read.)
Strike_Eagle said:
The link for whoever missed the keynote:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/ces/liveevent.aspx
(need silverlight)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, watching now!
^
Strike_Eagle said:
Yes. The thing is, there is no point from moving to use an app to control the web-based service like Ebay or Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree completely here. I don't even use those types of apps on my Xoom, if its a browser based service or app, I just use the Xooms browser. It's a real browser, no need for an app.
Strike_Eagle said:
But with PC is different, a mouse and keyboard are far more advanced than a touch screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree a bit here, the way a touch screen is used is different than that of a mouse, it shouldn't be seen as a replacement for a mouse. Multi touch functions and gestures are what touch screen input excels at. However, emulating simple mouse input, navigating the screen or cursor, etc.. eh, not so much. I added a BT mouse to my Xoom and many things are MUCH faster using it rather than touching the screen, but some things are easier and faster using the touch screen.
Strike_Eagle said:
It is fine that Microsoft try to make a buck over tablets , but they seem to be forgetting about PC user like us <snip>.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see this as much more than MS looking to make a buck on tablets. As power of mobile devices increases, as "cloud" (I hate that term) storage becomes more prevalent, its going to be very important to have a seamless experience across devices. For example, I use Google Music and Chrome. No matter what device I'm on, Xoom, desktop, laptop, all of my playlists and bookmarks are the same. This is where I think MS is going with Windows 8, they're looking to have their OS be everywhere and work the same (or similar) no matter what device you're on. Or at least be flexible enough to do that.

FuturePrimitive said:
I disagree a bit here, the way a touch screen is used is different than that of a mouse, it shouldn't be seen as a replacement for a mouse. Multi touch functions and gestures are what touch screen input excels at. However, emulating simple mouse input, navigating the screen or cursor, etc.. eh, not so much. I added a BT mouse to my Xoom and many things are MUCH faster using it rather than touching the screen, but some things are easier and faster using the touch screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol no.
With multitouch you can zoom, rotate, roll and that's it, with a precision that is useless for most task but browser internet and catalog some photos.
For example, let's say that we have a picture of 2000x1500 and we want to select a square of 256x256... with multitouch you can't do that.
In fact, clicking a single link can become a tedious work of zoom then click.

FuturePrimitive said:
(These are meant as general comments, not picking on you Strike_Eagle, you were just the last post I read.).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, don't need to worry about it, it is cool. Forum is a place for discussion, right?
FuturePrimitive said:
I disagree a bit here, the way a touch screen is used is different than that of a mouse, it shouldn't be seen as a replacement for a mouse. Multi touch functions and gestures are what touch screen input excels at. However, emulating simple mouse input, navigating the screen or cursor, etc.. eh, not so much. I added a BT mouse to my Xoom and many things are MUCH faster using it rather than touching the screen, but some things are easier and faster using the touch screen.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, i got your point man. Everything has its own advantage. Something which is so great to use the multi-touch. I never say that the multitouch would be a replacement for the mouse anytime soon. But my point, was like, Something which is designed for Multi-Touch might not be a great deal for mouse and keyboard.
the word "advanced" here , i mean , you can do more stuffs with a keyboard than a touch-screen, or the keyboard and mouse give you more advantages than the touch-screen give you. Don't get me wrong man, if you do photoshop , you would know that you can do stuffs with the picture by mouse and press the short cut on the keyboard for special effect at the sametime, which is can't be done by multi-touch, Because Multi-Touch is like a combination of mouse and keyboard , for the benifit of portable device.
But with Multi-Touch , you can also do stuffs that you would not ever archieve with a mouse. Well, you know what i mean, like drawing. But the limitation of technology nowday can't take that advantage *yet*. the screen is not that sensitive enough to make a perfect drawing like with Pencil and paper.
This agrument seem to be valid, keep it up man. , i don't hate multi-touch device, because i have myself a HTC Titan and probably a Windows 8 Tablet soon.

ok, you are a hardcore user, then just keep using the desktop. why are you mad that other people will get to use metro.
Tablets and apps are popular nowadays,so you cant ignore it. That is why windows 8 integrated metro. If you dont like it,you dont have to use it. Windows 8 desktop is bringing a bunch of new features as well. The OS is leaner and faster,and more secure.

Now i realized that we forgot about Kinect for PC... Are they trying to have us buy the kinect to use it for the metro UI on PC?

Strike_Eagle said:
Anyone here is watching CES 2012 on facebook?
Right now that lady is demo-ing the Windows 8 Tablet, i like the original idea about Windows 8 is bringing Metro UI to Desktop, but i think the marketplace / apps for Desktop is something stupid to me.
I think Microsoft has gone too far and almost completely forgotten about PC hardcore User. Ebay apps when we have IE/Firefox/Chrome for Ebay.com?
Maybe i am wrong over here, because until now i have no clue about the idea behind Marketplace for PC.
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I FULLY AGREE WITH YOU!
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

Isn't the idea of Marketplace that it will have all types of Apps and full applications like Photoshop, office etc? Similar to the Mac App Store?

Hopefully this doesn't have much effect on the gaming industry, mainly shooters. First, they were dumb'd down for consoles, now they could be severely dumb'd down for Tablets. I shudder at the thought.

There will probably be plenty of crossovers from other touch platforms (iOS, Android), but it shouldn't affect the *real* games.

Blacklac said:
Hopefully this doesn't have much effect on the gaming industry, mainly shooters. First, they were dumb'd down for consoles, now they could be severely dumb'd down for Tablets. I shudder at the thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft has something called " Windows PC Game Marketplace" *if i am not wrong* already.
I have heard about it, i have seen it (Operation Flashpoint : Red River) but i never used it. Valve's Steam is the solution most people looking for. Even Origin can't compare to Steam.

Strike_Eagle said:
Microsoft has something called " Windows PC Game Marketplace" *if i am not wrong* already.
I have heard about it, i have seen it (Operation Flashpoint : Red River) but i never used it. Valve's Steam is the solution most people looking for. Even Origin can't compare to Steam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Games for Windows Live" I think is what you're referring to.

x ZackehSoul x said:
"Games for Windows Live" I think is what you're referring to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thanks for pointing that out.

I wonder if XNA games will play a large role in the Windows App store?

[Q] So I have touch... but the gestures don't work?

Hello,
I felt this was the most appropriate place to ask this, if not, please move.
Anyway, I have a rather dated windows convertible laptop (Toshiba M750 if you must know). I've ran the Win8 CP on it with no problems, I recently got Win 8 from dreamspark. Too me a long time to find the right wacom driver before my touchscreen worked.
Now that it does work... it doesn't seem to work beyond swiping and selecting in apps. The side swipe gestures don't work at all, essentially making full touch navigation impossible. I could do everything with the wacom pen though. It was working in CP and it baffles me to see that I'm having so much problems now.
What can I do? Thanks.
EDIT: I also notice that touch doesn't draw in paint or journal...

FC1032 said:
Hello,
I felt this was the most appropriate place to ask this, if not, please move.
Anyway, I have a rather dated windows convertible laptop (Toshiba M750 if you must know). I've ran the Win8 CP on it with no problems, I recently got Win 8 from dreamspark. Too me a long time to find the right wacom driver before my touchscreen worked.
Now that it does work... it doesn't seem to work beyond swiping and selecting in apps. The side swipe gestures don't work at all, essentially making full touch navigation impossible. I could do everything with the wacom pen though. It was working in CP and it baffles me to see that I'm having so much problems now.
What can I do? Thanks.
EDIT: I also notice that touch doesn't draw in paint or journal...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The driver for your touch screen is probably still in beta form. If you wait a while, the new driver might come out. Go to csd.Toshiba.com to check for updates
Sent From My YP-G1 running ICS build 3.5

I've managed to find a wacom driver from another country region that works.
Both touch and pen work OK. But since this is a resistive touch screen, can i tweak the charms area, like make it larger? I need to really dig into the screen edge to activate it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Ditto. I have a Dell Inspiron 2320 but the screen is not flush with the casing so i cant do edge gestures. Is there a registry hack which increases the hit spot by the edge of the screen?

Turn any laptop into a tablet?

Despite some criticisms regarding its incredibly touch-centric user-interface that doesn't perform as well as a traditional desktop when using a standard mouse and keyboard, there will likely still come a time when Windows 8 is the only viable operating system for everyday use due to Windows' far superior application support by developers over Linux and Mac alternatives. Since versions after Windows 8 are likely still going to employ the touch-centric UI with Microsoft clearly determined to harken in the death of traditional computers in place of tablet/laptop hybrids, it seems to me that I may as well merely upgrade and become accustomed to the new user-interface. Whilst the discounted upgrade offer until the end of January also offers even further incentive to upgrade, the lack of an input method optimised for Windows 8 on my laptop is concerning and making me reluctant to do so.
I distinctly remember reading in articles a few months ago of purchasable styluses that also came included with a clip that attached to the top of a laptop's screen and, when using the stylus, it effectively turned said screen (so long as it was under 17 inches in size) into a touch-screen. Has anything become of these, because they seem very well-fit towards Windows 8 and the price for such a device is still likely to be much cheaper than purchasing a new laptop with a touch-screen or standalone touch-screen monitor?
Alternatively, as some of you have recommended, a mouse or touch-pad optimised for usage with Windows 8 may also prove a very viable alternative. The Logitech® Wireless Touchpad T650 is a really nice device that arguably even has benefits over even using any touch-screen, since you will not be subjected to fingerprints on your monitor from touching it all the time. However, I really do need something that still allows for traditional mouse input with a left-click and right-click simultaneously, which is needed for gaming. Any ideas of such a device, if any exists?

I've seen the same. It's one of those nice ideas that go fetal when facing commercial reality. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it.
IMO the most practical way to use Metro on a non-touch system (whether laptop or desktop) is to have a good touchpad with updated drivers to allow edge-swiping. Much of Metro's functionality is from the edge swipes, and the other functions--pinch zoom, scroll, gestures, etc--are old hat. A touchpad isn't as intuitive as directly touching the screen, but it is ergonomically superior (you don't have to lift your arms up to the screen for every touch), and you don't have to deal with fingerprint city.
If your laptop's trackpad is of the throwaway variety, or if you have a desktop, would suggest a good external trackpad. Unfortunately, I have no firsthand experience with any, but a cursory search on Amazon yields this below, the Logitech T650. Looks good, but fairly expensive at $80. Assuming Win8 doesn't do a faceplant, I'm sure there'll be more like this.
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/195406/Logitech-Wireless-Touchpad-T650-Silver/

As e.mote said, a multi-touch trackpad is your best bet!

I have the T650 and it is a good, inexpensive, portable solution. Bonus - it uses Logitech's unifying driver, so you can also add a compatible Logitech mouse or trackpad and they will all work off the one usb dongle. (At the same time!)
But, in my opinion, the BEST solution is the Dell dell S2340T touch screen monitor. Yeah, it costs $550 more - but this is the experience you are looking for.
[/QUOTE]

DoogieDC said:
I have the T650 and it is a good, inexpensive, portable solution. Bonus - it uses Logitech's unifying driver, so you can also add a compatible Logitech mouse or trackpad and they will all work off the one usb dongle. (At the same time!)
But, in my opinion, the BEST solution is the Dell dell S2340T touch screen monitor. Yeah, it costs $550 more - but this is the experience you are looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[/QUOTE]
Looks nice...I wasn't thinking about something like that at the time I made my reply.

I picked up the T650 from best buy to try it out. I'm returning it. Works as advertised but just isn't worth the $80.
Number one, they've got a software kink or two to work out (lags with double tap). I'm sure that'll be fixed, but.... eh. Two, the printed Logitech logo actually interferes with the input near the top of the device. Not a huge deal- hard to notice, but still. Three, no support for momentum. Four, something stained or smudged or... did something to the glass surface not an hour after I unboxed it. Doesn't seem to have hurt it at all, but I can't clean it off. The surface isn't incredibly fragile but it sure isn't going to stay pretty for long. Five, touchpads are generally inferior input devices. If you want an input device that is stationary, get one of the mice that has the ball you move with your thumb. The T650 is really sort of a gimmick device- I'd only recommend it as a low-profile/visually pleasing/easily-hidden remote input for a computer hooked up to a tv or similar scenario. Even then, I'd recommend a wiimote over this, if you know how to configure it of course. The T650 is zero configuration.
Honestly I have no issues using metro with a mouse on a desktop. Really, you're not disadvantaged or having to work around anything. Move the cursor up to the corner, move down a few pixels. Or Win+c / Win+tab on the keyboard. Right click and the context menu button certainly aren't disadvantaged (I've honestly never used that button before!). Actually using the mouse is better- it's faster to navigate the previews on the left than arbitrarily swiping through apps as with touch. As for closing an app- you don't need to. But if you must, alt+f4 works. Also I have no problems dragging down to close on my mouse or touchpad, though I would imagine that it could get annoying if you use a very low sensitivity setting. But you're doing it wrong if you do- a good rule of thumb for any input device is that the cursor should be at least 1:1 with the screen; you should be able to reach all corners of the monitor without having to readjust your hand (that is, reach every corner of the screen without lifting a finger on the touchpad, and without lifting a mouse). So the gesture should be easily done on mouse/touchpad with minimal effort.

Whilst I have yet to see a single review of the Logitech Wireless Touchpad or even hear of it prior to this thread, I absolutely love the idea of it and can easily see it as a solid replacement for the touch-screen on a Windows 8 machine. The problem is that I really do need a traditional mouse for playing games. Looks like I shall not be upgrading to Windows 8 then...

Sounds like what you're looking for is a touch mouse, ie one that allows 4-way touch scrolling plus Win8-specific gestures. Logitech has the T620 ($70) and MS has a whole suite of touch mice, although I think only the top-end MS Touch Mouse ($80) is Win8 optimized.
Logitech T620 (at 1:20 mark)
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/...-t650-touch-mouse-t620-zone-touch-mouse-t400/
Logitech T620 Win8 gestures
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/articles/win8-t620-gestures
MS Touch Mouse Win8 gestures
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/touch-mouse/3KJ-00001#windows-8

e.mote said:
Sounds like what you're looking for is a touch mouse, ie one that allows 4-way touch scrolling plus Win8-specific gestures. Logitech has the T620 ($70) and MS has a whole suite of touch mice, although I think only the top-end MS Touch Mouse ($80) is Win8 optimized.
Logitech T620 (at 1:20 mark)
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/10/...-t650-touch-mouse-t620-zone-touch-mouse-t400/
Logitech T620 Win8 gestures
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/mice-pointers/articles/win8-t620-gestures
MS Touch Mouse Win8 gestures
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/touch-mouse/3KJ-00001#windows-8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The two mice look, frankly, awful. The touch-pad is a very nice idea once you learn the shortcuts, but its performance in traditional applications that need a left and right click at the same time (such as games) is going to be poor. Thanks for the suggestions though.
I want a form of input for Windows 8 that either is, or closely mimicking that of, a touch-screen whilst still offering the traditional input that I need for games and also retaining a reasonable price. Until I can find such a thing, I shall never be upgrading to Windows 8.

Brad387 said:
Whilst I have yet to see a single review of the Logitech Wireless Touchpad or even hear of it prior to this thread, I absolutely love the idea of it and can easily see it as a solid replacement for the touch-screen on a Windows 8 machine. The problem is that I really do need a traditional mouse for playing games. Looks like I shall not be upgrading to Windows 8 then...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious? I mean, if you don't have $40 to spare, fine. But your decision on whether or not to upgrade to a faster, slimmer version of windows is hanging on something so trivially stupid as, "I need to buy another device because I've convinced myself that touch input is the only way to use 8"! You do realize you can turn off anything that you think "requires touch"? Did you read my post, which mostly consisted of me explaining why it's stupid to think you need touch for any of it?
That touch mouse is ridiculously silly. Do you realize you could just buy a gaming mouse with extra buttons, then map all the "touch gestures" to each button? Basing your decision on something so incredibly arbitrary is... frustrating.
Touch input is *NOT REQUIRED*.
Get the Logitech G700 if you don't have a gaming mouse yet- honestly there is no other mouse comparable on the market (unless you need an MMO mouse, that's a different beast).

link68759 said:
Are you serious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am I serious in that the lack of an input system I am comfortable with using for an operating system puts me off of said operating system? Absolutely. I have seen videos about using Windows 8 with traditional mice and, frankly, it looks a less than desirable experience. How you interact with an operating system, despite your strange reaction to my issues, are actually really important.

Sorry I edited a lot and didn't realize you already replied, go read my post again.
For the record, you can disable all the "touch" things and it behaves exactly like 7. In fact if you don't use metro at all, you don't even need to access the related metro commands... So I fail to see what the issue is.
Also, I assume you were watching videos of someone moaning about how excruciating it is. Self confirmation bias isn't research.

link68759 said:
Sorry I edited a lot and didn't realize you already replied, go read my post again.
For the record, you can disable all the "touch" things and it behaves exactly like 7. In fact if you don't use metro at all, you don't need to access the related metro commands... So I fail to see what the issue is.
Also, I assume you were watching videos of someone moaning about how excruciating it is. Self confirmation bias isn't research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the new Metro UI, but just feel that I may need a slightly better form of input. If I want the same Windows 7 UI, I'd just keep Windows 7.

There is a lot more to 8 than just the superficial UI additions, is my point. The under the hood improvements are very good and well worth snatching while 8 is still $40.
To name a few changes; generally faster and more optimized, uses less RAM, and the entire graphics subsystem has been rewritten, so when NVidia gets around to taking advantage of the new features with their drivers, we should see better gaming performance too.

link68759 said:
There is a lot more to 8 than just the superficial UI additions, is my point. The under the hood improvements are very good and well worth snatching while 8 is still $40.
To name a few changes; generally faster and more optimized, uses less RAM, and the entire graphics subsystem has been rewritten, so when NVidia gets around to taking advantage of the new features with their drivers, we should see better gaming performance too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My other worries are regarding drivers. I don't want to upgrade and lose drivers for my laptop, which would be a nightmare. Also, software support seems pitiful at the moment. Does Steam and iTunes work on Windows 8? Finally, do you need a Microsoft account to utilise Windows 8?
But, back on topic, I'd still rather just keep to Windows 7 unless I can actually enjoy the new UI. Windows 9, or whatever it is likely to be called, should be released next year as part of Microsoft's new annual upgrade plan for Windows and I will likely just get that or even the one after that. The performance increase might be there, but I haven't read of any performance increases on Windows 8 anywhere. "No UI = No New OS" is my policy here. I want the Metro UI, but a nice form of input with it.
All I need is a touch mouse that allows for all the otherwise touch-screen Windows 8 gestures, but still retains physical left and right mouse buttons for gaming. After that, I am sold so long as everything in terms of drivers and stuff checks out.

JihadSquad said:
I am running Steam on W8 fine. I don't use iTunes, but there haven't been any complaints yet. Most games I have tried run on W8, with the exception of Command & Conquer Generals. Whats's this about the annual upgrade plan, by the way? Also trackpad drivers for Windows 8 have Windows 8 gestures built in (if it is a Synaptics trackpad you should have no issues). Finally, if you are worried about losing W7, you can just dual boot.
And fyi, I am not a fanboy. I would rather use Linux if I could, but until there is software and driver support for what I do, that is not going to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/28/3693368/windows-blue-update-low-cost
So, my trackpad built into my Acer which is a Synaptics will gain all the Windows 8 gestures?

Brad387 said:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/28/3693368/windows-blue-update-low-cost
So, my trackpad built into my Acer which is a Synaptics will gain all the Windows 8 gestures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Acer has released drivers for it. My Thinkpad did not get drivers until about a month after RTM, but I would expect any decent manufacturer to have them out. If not, the generic Synaptics drivers work, but some trackpads may have issues.
If you are planning to dual boot the system, you may want to check this out first. Set it up in dual boot and see if everything works. If you are satisfied, you can install Pro over it. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx

Brad387 said:
My other worries are regarding drivers. I don't want to upgrade and lose drivers for my laptop, which would be a nightmare. Also, software support seems pitiful at the moment. Does Steam and iTunes work on Windows 8? Finally, do you need a Microsoft account to utilise Windows 8?
But, back on topic, I'd still rather just keep to Windows 7 unless I can actually enjoy the new UI. Windows 9, or whatever it is likely to be called, should be released next year as part of Microsoft's new annual upgrade plan for Windows and I will likely just get that or even the one after that. The performance increase might be there, but I haven't read of any performance increases on Windows 8 anywhere. "No UI = No New OS" is my policy here. I want the Metro UI, but a nice form of input with it.
All I need is a touch mouse that allows for all the otherwise touch-screen Windows 8 gestures, but still retains physical left and right mouse buttons for gaming. After that, I am sold so long as everything in terms of drivers and stuff checks out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software support is pitiful? Literally almost nothing in regard to how a program runs has changed. If itunes doesn't work that's because itunes is a crappy piece of **** software. Steam has never not worked, idk where you heard that. As far as I can tell, everything that worked on 7 will work on 8, with the obvious exception of 7 tweakUI and related customization utilities.
As for an MS acount, no you don't need one. You can create a local account just like you always could, and if you want you can log into the store with an MS account, so you can still use metro without tying your local account to the MS account. But if you do this you obviously lose the neat sync features.
As for the mouse, trust me when I say you do not want to buy into a gimmicky piece of hardware like that. If you find something, it's not going to be suitable for gaming as the hardware will probably be pretty shoddy. I don't know why you keep insisting that you need touch input, I've tried to tell you but you just won't listen! Touch input is just unnecessary! It's not going to add to your windows 8 experience in any significant way. Save yourself the money, just get a conventional mouse from razer or logitech. Stop convincing yourself that the input is "touch based"- the mouse actually uses different gestures than the touch input does so each new addition can be accessed by mouse gesture or touch gesture. Insisting that you need touch to use it the touch way is just stupid.
"No UI = No New OS"
You are the worst type of person. It's that kind of horrible attitude that turns good software into ****. Behind the scenes improvements and minor efficiency optimizations to the established UI(s) is what the focus should be. I'm not even going to try and explain to you why that's so stupid...
/abandon thread

If you have a synaptic touch pad on your laptop aready then just download the latest drivers, they work fine, to be honestmate you've read to much in to the touch centric UI its just as easy with a keyboard an mouse, use it, learn it, and I promise once you get the Hang of it you won't miss the touch screen, that then allows you to freely learn the OS an when your ready you can buy a new laptop or tablet when the time an price is right for you, don't believe all the negativity you read on this, its almost all complete FUD
Sent from my Samsung Focus S using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

[Q] Questions by a new to Windows 8 user

These questions are regarding my Toshiba Satellite P845t-S4305 I just purchased a few days ago and absolutely love both the laptop and windows 8. I have a few questions and greatly appreciate any help anyone can provide me. I have searched to the best of my abilities and have found all other answers I needed these are what I could not find answers to.
1. Any time that I try to install Microsoft Office I am unsuccessful. I have tried both the trial for Office 365 premium and purchasing the monthly subscription for 9.99. I have an .exe file to install but when I run the program I get a UAC prompt asking me to allow the program to run. I hit yes it disappears and nothing happens. I have tried both 32bit and 64bit versions and I have tried right clicking and run as admin. I have been able to install 7-zip and chrome both of which were .exe files as well.
2. Sometime the mouse behaves weird. I am referring to the touchpad not an actual mouse itis kind of twitchy almost as though someone has connected remotely to the computer and we are both trying to control it at once but this is not the case and it is only occassionally not all the time.
3. What are the limitations to running an app in metro rather than desktop mode for example Chrome I can either run in desktop mode or relaunch in metro what if any limitations do either mode have?
4. Is there a way to get touchpad multitouch gestures similar to a Macbook such as two finger swipe to go back or forward in web browsers or four finger swipe down to open the app switcher? Pinch to zoom using either the touch screen or touchpad would also be convenient.
Thank you all so much for your time reading this I know it is a little detailed.
XDA has always saved me in the past I have no doubt you all will come through once again.
Thank you once more for good measure

The only one of those that's really about Win8 is the Metro vs. Desktop question... The truth is, unless an app is sideloaded or installed from the store, it's not really Metro. Software (including Chrome) can look and feel like Metro, but that's not the same. As for the tradeoffs, Metro apps update through the store (they can't update themselves), run in an extremely restrictive sandbox (can't even read most of the filesystem), have extremely limited multitasking (they can be snapped to the side of the screen, and if expressly written to can run in the background, but that's pretty much it), can sync state across Windows machines with the same account (without using their own syncing code), use the Settings charm for controlling options and permissions, and respond to gestures.
1: No idea what the problem is. Watch Task Manager as you begin the install; check what happens after consent.exe (the UAC prompt) goes away. Also, obviously, reboot (if you haven't already) and also make sure your Windows is up to date.
2: Hardware or driver (hardware-sepcific) problem. I can't help you, ask the manufacturer.
3: Answered above.
4: Yes, use a decent touchpad and/or driver for it. My 4 year old HP laptop supports multi-touch even in Win7.

erasmogjr said:
These questions are regarding my Toshiba Satellite P845t-S4305 I just purchased a few days ago and absolutely love both the laptop and windows 8. I have a few questions and greatly appreciate any help anyone can provide me. I have searched to the best of my abilities and have found all other answers I needed these are what I could not find answers to.
1. Any time that I try to install Microsoft Office I am unsuccessful. I have tried both the trial for Office 365 premium and purchasing the monthly subscription for 9.99. I have an .exe file to install but when I run the program I get a UAC prompt asking me to allow the program to run. I hit yes it disappears and nothing happens. I have tried both 32bit and 64bit versions and I have tried right clicking and run as admin. I have been able to install 7-zip and chrome both of which were .exe files as well.
2. Sometime the mouse behaves weird. I am referring to the touchpad not an actual mouse itis kind of twitchy almost as though someone has connected remotely to the computer and we are both trying to control it at once but this is not the case and it is only occassionally not all the time.
3. What are the limitations to running an app in metro rather than desktop mode for example Chrome I can either run in desktop mode or relaunch in metro what if any limitations do either mode have?
4. Is there a way to get touchpad multitouch gestures similar to a Macbook such as two finger swipe to go back or forward in web browsers or four finger swipe down to open the app switcher? Pinch to zoom using either the touch screen or touchpad would also be convenient.
Thank you all so much for your time reading this I know it is a little detailed.
XDA has always saved me in the past I have no doubt you all will come through once again.
Thank you once more for good measure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Check add/remove as Toshiba may have installed a "trial" version or Starter edition. You should remove any previous versions of office installed by Toshiba, doubtful they are full and sounds like you have your own you prefer.
2. Try updated drivers, I've found the Toshiba touchpad to be very finicky and harder to control vs other's though. I have used it on Portege R930 and Z930 and I can't say I really like the experience compared with other's like HP or Dell.
4. Try the utility for the touchpad.

goofball2k said:
1. Check add/remove as Toshiba may have installed a "trial" version or Starter edition. You should remove any previous versions of office installed by Toshiba, doubtful they are full and sounds like you have your own you prefer.
2. Try updated drivers, I've found the Toshiba touchpad to be very finicky and harder to control vs other's though. I have used it on Portege R930 and Z930 and I can't say I really like the experience compared with other's like HP or Dell.
4. Try the utility for the touchpad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. worked perfectly there was a trial version of office installed as soon as I removed it everything went as it should and I now have my office installed thank you so much
2. coming from a macbook left me with high expectations for the touchpad but the touch screen really makes up for that. I always thought the macbook would be perfect with a touchscreen.
4.I will have to look this up thank you

Database Users

welcome