review windows 8 pro Modern UI Start Screen

Click to EnlargeIf you're used to using Windows and haven't tried one of the various Windows 8 previews, you're in for a shock. Microsoft has added a second tile-based interface it calls the "Windows 8 user interface" on top of the traditional windowed desktop.After you log into Windows, the first screen you see is the Start screen, which contains a series of tiles, representing your applications and shortcuts. You can scroll to your right to see more shortcuts and you can drag the tiles around from column to column and even create custom groups by dragging the tiles around.
Most of the preloaded tiles are shortcuts to a special new kind of software that will only run on Windows 8 and only within the new tile-based UI. These new applications' tiles can be turned into self-updating "live tiles" that show new content directly on the Start screen. For example, we were able to see quotes for companies we were following directly in the stock app's tile and social updates from friends in the People app's tile.
Click to EnlargeIf you find its live updates annoying, you can right click any tile to change its settings. You can also change the size of tiles to large (full column) or small (half a column). Even at their smallest size, these tiles are much easier to target with a finger than icons on the Windows desktop.
When you launch a Windows 8 style app, that program appears as full screen with no window bar, task bar or any other navigation present. You can close an app by either swiping or dragging it down from the top of the screen to the very bottom.
Click to EnlargeWithin a Windows 8 app, swiping up from the bottom of the screen or right clicking/swiping down on a touchpad brings up the app bar, a context-sensitive menu for that program. (You can also use the Windows + Z keyboard shortcut.) In Internet Explorer, for example, the app bar shows thumbnails for all your open browser tabs. On the Start screen, the app bar shows a button that will take you to an All apps menu that shows thumbnails for absolutely every program you have installed