Windows 8 on laptop in-depth preview (video)

 

ENGADGET: Less than 24 hours after it went live on Microsoft's site, Steve Ballmer reported a whopping 500,000 downloads of Windows 8 Developer Preview. That's half a million copies, if not eager Windows fans. Well, you can count us among them. Although we were treated to some private hands-on time with a tablet optimized for the OS, we hadn't, until now, had a chance to use it on a laptop -- i.e., the computing environment where we spend most of our time, and the one where we're most used to seeing Windows, in particular.

For the past three days, we've been doing just that: getting acquainted with Windows 8 using the good 'ol mouse-and-keyboard combo. And while that might read like a redundant statement (what recent version of Windows hasn't accommodated a cursor?), Win 8 is a peculiar breed -- It's the first version of the operating system where finger input wasn't an afterthought, but a first-class citizen. It's clear that this time around, Windows is optimized for touch, but we had to wonder if that Windows Phone-inspired UI would present a steep learning curve, if it would get in the way while we tried to go about business as usual. So how's that working out for us? Suffice to say, we're not in Kansas anymore, so find your most comfortable chair and meet us after the break -- we've got oh-so many details to delve into.

Disclaimer

First off, this is not a review. It might look like one, it might even be longer than one, but it's nevertheless not a review. Our goal here is to do a deep dive on what it's like to use Windows 8 on a laptop -- something, obviously, that we've never done, but have been waiting to do for quite some time. And, as much as we have to say on the topic, this won't be the last you'll hear from us. We'll be following Windows 8 as it incubates, and will reserve full judgment until the final version ships -- presumably, a year from now or more.

Secondly, you'll notice we were pretty thorough here. Rest assured, we didn't do this for nitpicking's sake, but out of respect for the fact that Windows 8 is a big deal -- not least because it's a stark departure from the Windows you're used to. When we point out bugs or limited functionality, we don't mean it as a "gotcha!" moment. We never expected the developer preview to have the spit and polish of a final build, and we earnestly believe Microsoft's going to iron out many of these kinks over the next year. We're going into gross detail because we want to do the OS justice and, well, many of you are curious about such things. So without further ado, let's do this.

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