Tag Archives: Start Screen

Computers

Bing Windows 8 apps updated, boosting RSS functions

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Microsoft is keeping a steady flow of updates to its suite of Windows 8 apps, and this week’s refresh goes to Bing News, Maps, and Finance. Even better, Microsoft added video tutorials for each of the apps, which guide users through the features.

The most interesting update of the bunch is for the Bing News app, which now includes an option that lets you add your favorite RSS feeds to the sources list, as well as place custom feeds on the Start Screen. Its arrival is timely in the wake of Google’s decision to kill Google Reader this summer, leaving a lot of RSS lovers scrambling for alternatives.

The updated Bing News is not a Google Reader replacement yet, though. It doesn’t sync the read items with its Windows Phone 8 counterpart and there is no Web interface to use. A good alternative on Windows 8 is the Nextgen Reader app, but since the app uses Google Reader to sync items, Bing News remains Windows 8 users’ best bet for the future—and Microsoft still has some time until the summer to improve the app.

Maps, Finance refreshed

Next up is the Bing Maps app, which is updated with an improved local search option. This lets you search for nearby amenities, including restaurants, hotels, hospitals, or shops. Bing Maps has improved walking and transit directions for several countries, and you can now click on landmarks and also report problems with the map imagery.

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From: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2034645/bing-windows-8-apps-updated-boosting-rss-functions.html#tk.rss_all

Computers

Make your website stand out in Windows 8

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Buried within Windows 8 are little-known features that can give your website a prominent presence alongside the apps on any user’s desktop. Exploiting these options can enhance your site’s visitor experience and give your business a competitive advantage. For example, people can pin your website to Windows 8’s new Start Screen, share your site with others via its Charms bar, and access shortcuts to your content.

Although Windows 8 remains controversial, it counts millions of early adopters, and Windows will likely remain the most popular operating system for the foreseeable future. That’s why it matters to optimize your website now for Microsoft’s newest OS. Luckily, all it takes is adding add some custom code to your website, and it doesn’t take heavy-duty developer skills. Read on to get started.

Customize your Windows 8 Start Screen tile

PCWorld’s red favicon

When visitors browse your website using the Internet Explorer app in the new Windows 8 interface, they can pin your site to the Windows Start Screen. This creates a “live tile” icon in Windows, serving as a shortcut to your site.

Make sure your website has a favicon—the Favorite or Bookmark icon that appears in your browser’s address bar or tab—since that icon appears in Windows 8’s tile. Otherwise, you’ll see the IE icon by default. Windows 8 extracts the dominant color from your favicon, if available, and uses it as the live tile’s background color. It uses your site’s HTML title tag for the name of the tile.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Three easy ways to find the Windows 8 Control Panel

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Right-click the lower-left corner of the Desktop to activate this menu.

Anyone new to Windows 8 knows that there’s a learning curve, especially when it comes to seemingly simple things like shutting down your PC or enabling the hibernate option.

Indeed, if you’ve ever gone looking for the Control Panel, you know that it can be a little elusive. You might think, “Oh, I’ll just hit the ol’ Charms Bar and tap Settings,” but, alas, Control Panel doesn’t appear in that list.

As it turns out, though, it’s really easy to access the CP, though the method is a bit different depending on whether you’re viewing the Start Screen or the Desktop.

For example, if you’re using the Desktop (which I assume most people are), there’s no Start button, and therefore no immediately obvious way to find Control Panel.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Nokia rolls out Windows Phone 7.8 to Lumia smartphones

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Nokia has started rolling out a Windows Phone 7.8 updated to its Lumia smartphones.

Nokia is gradually releasing Windows Phone 7.8 for the Lumia 510, 610, 710, 800 and 900 during February. Users will soon get notifications for the software update. Unlocked phones are likely to get the update itself first, while network operators must approve it before it reaches your phone.

Nokia said: “You can transform your Nokia Lumia with a host of exciting new personalization features, such as the ability to resize your tiles, new lock screen options, and more theme colours.”

Windows Phone 7.8 brings the new, more customizable Start Screen with resizable live tiles and a new lock screen. Nokia said its handset will also get Internet sharing, Bluetooth sharing and Camera Extras. New apps include Contact Share, Play To, and Nokia City.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

Review: Classic Shell brings the Start menu to Windows 8 for free

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Windows 8 doesn’t have a Start button. If you don’t think that’s something that needs fixing, you’re probably in the minority, at least for now. Maybe in time, Windows 8’s Modern-style Start Screen will grow on users and it’ll turn out Microsoft was right all along. Until that happens, there’s a flourishing niche of aftermarket utilities that bring the Start button (and menu) back to Windows 8, from excellent ones like Stardock’s Start8, to ones that add value like Pokki, to less-than-stellar attempts like RetroUI. But you don’t need to pay to get a Start button: There’s one tool that’s free, open-source, and very customizable. Meet Classic Shell.

This is my Classic Shell Start menu, but yours may end up looking completely different, depending on your taste.

Unlike most Start menu replacements, Classic Shell has been around for a while. Its first version came out in November 2009, long before Windows 8 was even close to public. At the time, it was meant to fix interface annoyances in Windows Vista. That was version 0.9 (the first publicly available version), and today, more than three years later, it’s at version 3.6.4. As software projects are wont to do, Classic Shell grew over time, and now consists of three separate parts: Classic Explorer, Classic Start Menu, and Classic IE9.

That tendency of software projects to grow and morph over time is exactly what Classic Shell sets out to fix. It doesn’t try to invent anything new: In the project’s own words, Classic Shell is “a collection of features that were available in older versions of Windows but were later removed.” You’re not going to find any groundbreaking UI innovations here, and in my eyes, that’s a good thing. These are interface patterns that worked and that Microsoft took away for reasons unknown.

Classic Shell ships with three built-in skins derived from different Windows versions, which can be tweaked as needed.

Classic Shell‘s most newsworthy component is Classic Start Menu, and it’s stellar. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard, and up pops a Start menu, just like you remember it from Windows 7 (or Windows Vista, or Windows XP–you can choose your own skin). Start typing to search for programs, hit Enter to launch. Search is blazing fast. You can pin items to the Start menu, and customize every aspect of it. Never use the Printers item? No problem, you can easily make it go away. In other words, Classic Start Menu is just like the Start Menu you know and love, only more customizable.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Computers

10 awesome new features in Excel 2013

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Microsoft’s updated spreadsheet tool is becoming more functional rather than getting new whiz-bang features. However, both new and experienced users will enjoy the new features—especially one solving a simple problem that used to require a cumbersome workaround. Complex tasks become easier to perform, thanks to tools such as Recommended Charts and Recommended PivotTables tools. Other changes place choices closer to your data, and use big-business brawn to crunch data right into Excel. To help you get up to speed, here are 10 new features to make your work easier in the new Excel.

1. Start screen sets the scene

Excel has a new Start Screen that helps you get to work more quickly. Along its left edge are the most recently used worksheets, any of which can be pinned to your Recent list so they will always be visible. Here, too, you can click Open Other Workbooks to access your files from a disk or the cloud. The Start Screen’s top-right corner also shows the SkyDrive (or SharePoint) account you are currently connected to.

A range of templates appears here to help you quick start a project. These can also be pinned, or you can use the search feature to look online for other templates. A list of suggested searches can help you get started.

New users will appreciate the template choices and existing users will appreciate the Recent file list and quick access to existing files. Although the Start Screen can be disabled, I find it useful enough to stick with it.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld