10 essential ingredients of a killer Windows 8 business PC

Windows 8 is here. In form and functionality, the new flagship operating system is the most dramatic makeover of Windows since its inception. Windows 8 was developed from the ground up with a touch-enabled interface that works best when tapped and swiped. Under the hood, the same old Windows is still present, but the Modern UI and the Windows Store shift the focus to mobile.

A survey conducted by the tech support services provider iYogi found that one-third of small businesses are considering switching to Windows 8. iYogi also learned that 38 percent of the respondents currently using iPads for business are exploring Windows 8 tablet options.

The launch of Windows 8 will bring an avalanche of new hardware, too. A number of diverse models have already become available, including traditional desktops and laptops, all-in-one touchscreen PCs, Ultrabooks (with and without touchscreens), tablets, and hybrid tablet/ultraportable products. For some small businesses, the options can be confusing and overwhelming.

Is it time to invest in new PC hardware for your company? Regardless of whether you wish to move to Windows 8 right now, it makes sense to begin purchasing hardware that's at least Windows 8 compatible.

Look for the following features and capabilities in any new hardware you buy for your business, so that you can get the most out of Windows 8 when the time comes to install the OS on legacy machines.

1. Touch support

Sony's Windows 8-powered VAIO all-in-one.

Microsoft built Windows 8 with touch in mind. The Modern UI (formerly known as “Metro”) is a colorful collection of tiles and apps designed to be tapped and swiped. You can interact with Windows 8 using a traditional keyboard and mouse, but that isn't ideal. Any new hardware you buy should support ten-point multitouch gesture control if you want to use Windows 8 to its fullest potential.

That said, some people find using touchscreens on notebooks and desktop displays to be awkward and unnatural. If you fall in this camp, a laptop with a touchpad, or a touchpad peripheral combined with a desktop or laptop, will allow you to interact with Windows 8 as intended.

2. Horsepower

Hardware specs are always a prime consideration when you're buying a new computer. The number of processor cores, the speed of the processor, the amount of RAM, and whether the machine carries a discrete graphics processor all play important roles in the overall performance of a PC.

The system requirements for Windows 8 are modest,
but you may need a workhorse like Intel's Core i7
chip for heavy processing tasks such as video and photo editing.

Here's some good news for the performance-deprived: According to Microsoft, the Windows 8 hardware requirements are exceptionally meager. You can get by with a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a graphics card compatible with DirectX 9. So you can run Windows 8 smoothly onexisting Windows 7 hardware, or put together a snappy Windows 8 system on a shoestring budget.

For most average users, pretty much any PC that meets Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Certification requirements (and bears a "certified for Windows 8" logo) will suffice. But if you will use your business PC for more processor- or memory-intensive tasks, such as video editing or 3D modeling, don’t skimp on horsepower—choose a system with a more powerful processor, such as a quad-core Intel Core i7.

3. Storage

Although the on-board storage capacity of your Windows 8 machine might become less important if you routinely keep data on SkyDrive, storage needs still vary widely from business to business. It all boils down to how you plan to use your hardware on a day-to-day basis.

Most users will probably be fine with the standard-issue 500GB hard drive that comes in most baseline Windows 8 desktop PCs. However, if your workflow involves content-creation tasks such as video production and photo editing, that 500GB might fill up quickly with massive files. If you need to store data locally to present and share files with customers, your PC should have a drive capable of accommodating that—or you’ll require an additional drive.

This consideration is extremely important, given SkyDrive's native limitations: Free storage for new users tops out at 7GB (though you can always purchase more capacity), and file-size limits could affect how you use the service. Microsoft limits you to a 300MB maximum file size for drag-and-drop browser uploads, and to a 2GB maximum file size when you use the SkyDrive desktop app.

4. Battery

Dell's Latitude 10 tablet includes an easy-access
compartment for battery swapping.

So much of Windows 8 focuses on mobility, so the battery life of the devices you purchase will be key. As a rule, users who travel or work remotely should be able to work through the day on a single charge, or close to it.

Vendors often overstate battery life, claiming 9 hours or more. With real-world use—connecting to the Internet, surfing the Web, checking email, and getting stuff done—most leading Ultrabooks are good for about 6 to 7 hours.

Intel says laptops and tablets running its new Clover Trail processors for Windows 8 will get up to 10 hours of battery life. ARM-based tablets running Windows RT are said to offer about the same. Bottom line: Pay close attention to PCWorld's battery-rundown tests if battery life is a paramount concern for your Windows 8 business PC. Also be on the lookout for devices with user-replaceable batteries, such as the Dell Latitude 10.

5. Portability 

A difference of a pound or two doesn’t sound like much on a spec sheet, but that extra weight makes a big difference to your back after you've lugged a laptop around all day. If you plan to transport your Windows 8 PC from work to home and back again, or if you frequently work at 35,000 feet, the size and weight really matter.

Microsoft's Surface RT is the most portable
Windows 8 device--but not necessarily the one
you want.

There's a trade-off as well, though. An 11-inch Ultrabook is lighter and more travel-friendly than a 17-inch laptop, but the 11-incher has a substantially smaller display, and probably less local storage capacity, not to mention fewer ports and a lack of peripherals such as optical drives. You need to choose the most portable PC that still provides the features and capabilities you need.

Ultrabooks range in weight from about 2.5 pounds to more than 4 pounds. Most fall somewhere in the middle, at around 3 pounds. Of course, if you want a truly lightweight mobile computing device, you can use a Windows 8 tablet. The Surface RT weighs a feathery 1.5 pounds and is a serviceable machine for Microsoft Office, but it doesn't have the screen size and flexibility for serious content-creation work.

6. Connections

Windows 8 tablets
have common port and
slot types, such as for
a MicroSD memory card.

Do you use devices that connect via FireWire? Do you need an SD memory card slot to transfer images from your camera to your PC? Does your monitor connect through a standard VGA cable or via HDMI? Do you have USB 3.0 peripherals? The available ports vary from one device to the next, so you need to consider all of the devices you might want to connect to the PC, and then choose hardware with the ports that meet your needs.

Windows 8 tablet models, such as Microsoft's Surface RT, generally have more standard ports and connectivity options than Android tablets do, and certainly more than the iPad does. The Surface RT boasts a standard USB port, a Micro HDMI port, and a MicroSD slot. Pay attention, though, to details such as USB 2.0 versus USB 3.0. While USB 2.0 has a maximum data transfer rate of 480 mbps, USB 3.0 is more than 10 times faster, with maximum data throughput of 5 gbps.

7. Networking

Before buying any hardware, consider how you wish to connect to your network or the Internet. For wired connections, you might need a gigabit ethernet adapter; for wireless networks, you may want 802.11n or even 802.11ac capabilities.

Lenovo's ThinkPad 2
offers 3G or 4G wireless
service.

Part of the unique appeal of Windows 8 lies in Ultrabooks and tablets that are designed to be used from virtually anywhere. Mobile professionals may need to be able to access information while they're out and about, in which case 3G or 4G broadband access will come in handy. Tablets and Ultrabooks that offer 3G or 4G connectivity as an option, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad 2, do exist, but they are much less common than Wi-Fi-only devices. Of course, mobile hotspots and USB dongles are available to connect Windows 8 devices, so it’s not imperative that a wireless radio be built in.

8. Durability

When you’re carrying around a mobile PC for mission-critical business tasks, you need it to survive a bump or two. You don’t necessarily need a tank (like something from the Panasonic Toughbook line), but you should consider the conditions you'll use your PC in, and avoid choosing hardware that’s prone to cracking or breaking.

Some analysts wonder
how durable the
Surface tablet's
kickstand will be.

Microsoft went out of its way to engineer the Surface RT tablet for durability, and company representatives like to drop them on the ground to prove that point every chance they get. That said, we don't think the Surface RT's kickstand, however durable it may seem, will survive much abuse. Like all moving parts, it's susceptible to a certain degree of failure.

Aside from the physical device itself, another factor to consider is the durability of the storage in your Windows 8 machine. Traditional hard drives can be irrevocably damaged from a sudden fall, while the flash memory in tablets, or the solid-state drive storage commonly found in Ultrabooks, is much more resilient.

9. Security

Dell's Latitude 10
features a removable
user authentification card.

Security is a big issue for business PCs—especially portable ones. Your hardware should be equipped with UEFI to take advantage of Windows 8 Secure Boot, as well as a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) chip for effective use of the BitLocker drive encryption in Windows 8.

You also might want a fingerprint scanner or some other biometric feature built in to the PC for stronger, two-factor authentication. This arrangement can prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive data on the PC.

Dell's new Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet goes one step further by incorporating a slot for a removable security card. The tablet will display your (potentially sensitive) business data only after reading your personal user card.

10. Flexibility

One thing that’s new to the world of Windows 8 is the concept of the hybrid. Since Windows 8 is engineered for touch, a slew of Windows 8 tablet models are on the horizon. Many of them, however, combine the benefits of a tablet and an ultraportable, giving users the flexibility to use Windows 8 more effectively in assorted scenarios.

I asked Onuora Amobi, editor of Windows8Update, for his opinion on these unique Windows 8 hardware options. “I think that hybrid PCs and hybrid Ultrabooks will do very well,” Amobi says. “Being able to sit down with a PC keyboard in your office, and then being able to detach the screen (as a tablet) and take that to a meeting, will be very tough for Apple to respond to.”

Source: pcworld.com

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Can Skype really take the place of a face-to-face meeting?

It's the ultimate business hack: Instead of traveling to meet with a client, a design team, or anyone else you need to see face-to-face, you stay put and set up a video call instead. The technology is there—Skype, WebEx, etc.—and it can save you considerable time and money.

Indeed, think of what's involved in the typical business trip. Airfare. Hotel. Rental cars and/or taxis. Lunches. Dinners. And at least a day of your time, if not the better part of a week.

A videoconference, on the other hand, requires only a few minutes of setup, some equipment you may already have, and the time it takes for the actual meeting. Like I said: the ultimate business hack.

But how does this fly in the real world? Can Skype and similar services really take the place of a face-to-face sitdown at a conference table or business dinner?

I think it depends in part on the business. Cambridge, Mass.-based Plan B Salon, for example, offers 15-minute video consultations, giving customers a chance to learn about their options and ask questions before actually traveling to the salon.

In Lafayette, Ind., therapist Buck Black offers counseling sessions via Skype, thus allowing him to have a customer base that spans the country instead of just the city.

Now, those are fairly specialized businesses. Would that kind of videoconferencing work for your enterprise? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

In the meantime, I think one reason videoconferencing hasn't really caught on in boardrooms is hardware limitations: You can't comfortably gather a group of people around a laptop screen.

Enter TelyHD Business Edition, a dedicated Skype Webcam that plugs into an HDTV instead of a computer. That not only gives you a much larger screen for your meetings, but also affords much better video and audio than you get from the typical laptop Webcam.

The TelyHD works with your existing Skype account and supports multi-party calling (up to six locations simultaneously). There's also a companion Windows app that allows for screen and document sharing. Price tag: $499. Steep for a Webcam, yes, but less than I spent on airfare alone for my last business trip. Food for thought.

I've tested the consumer version of the TelyHD, and it works quite well. My immediate thought: This belongs in boardrooms! It'll be interesting to see if it catches on there, as it's definitely a more affordable solution than most business videoconferencing systems.

Source: pcworld.com

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Yahoo to ignore Microsoft's 'Do Not Track' signal from IE10

Yahoo plans to ignore “Do Not Track” privacy requests sent by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE10) browser, calling its ally’s unilateral decision “signal abuse” and pointing to a possible rift between the search partners.

One Do Not Track (DNT) expert, however, didn’t think Yahoo’s decision, announced last week, would affect its deal with Microsoft.

“I don’t think this is especially significant,” said Justin Brookman, director of consumer privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology. “Yahoo! is just the biggest individual company to draw this line in the sand. I doubt this will affect their search relationship.” Brookman has been heavily involved in the DNT standard-setting effort.

Dan Olds, an analyst with the Gabriel Consulting Group, agreed. “This won’t rise to the level where it will affect the Yahoo-Microsoft relationship. Companies this large are able to compartmentalize.”

IE10, which launched Oct. 26 alongside Windows 8 and will be released as a preview for Windows 7 by mid-November, is the only browser that has switched on Do Not Track (DNT) by default.

In reality, some argue, IE10 does not actually switch DNT on: In August, Microsoft backed away a step, and promised that during Windows 8 setup, customers will be notified of the impending setting and given a chance to turn it off.

Do Not Track (DNT) signals whether a user wants online advertisers and websites to track his or her movements. Four of the five major browsers—Firefox, IE, Opera and Safari—can now send a DNT signal, while Chrome will include the option by the end of this year. All but IE, however, initially leave it in the “off” position and require users to manually turn on the signal.

Like others—primarily advertisers, but also some browser makers such as Firefox’s Mozilla—Yahoo criticized the on-by-default setting in IE10.

“In principle, we support DNT,” Yahoo said in an unattributed entry on its policy blog Friday. “[But] Microsoft unilaterally decided to turn on DNT in Internet Explorer 10 by default, rather than at users’ direction. It basically means that the DNT signal from IE10 doesn’t express user intent. We will not recognize IE10’s default DNT signal on Yahoo! properties at this time.”

Online advertisers have balked at the idea that browsers can turn on DNT without asking users, essentially hoping that the under-consideration standard will not be widely adopted if the signal must be manually switched on.

Yahoo alluded to that on its blog, saying, “In our view, [IE10’s on-by-default] degrades the experience for the majority of users and makes it hard to deliver on our value proposition to them.”

“Value proposition” clearly refers to the trade-offs—users must accept the targeted ads as the price for receiving free software, services and content—that advertisers say make the Internet what it is. As far as advertisers are concerned, tracking is required to provide targeted ads.

A group composed of advertisers, browser makers, privacy advocates and others have not finalized a DNT standard, even after months of intensive work. The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) standards-setting group has, however, preliminarily ruled that browser makers cannot set the DNT signal for users, essentially letting each website decide whether it will acknowledge or ignore IE10’s.

Advertisers recently turned up the rhetoric about DNT. Earlier this month, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), an industry lobbying group, said Microsoft’s decision would “harm consumers, hurt competition, and undermine American innovation,” and called the on-by-default setting “unacceptable.”

Privacy advocates countered, saying that the ANA’s demands were “bizarre.”

Yahoo’s decision to ignore IE10’s DNT signal is notable because the California company is allied with Microsoft in search. In 2010, the two firms signed a 10-year agreement whereby Yahoo’s search results are fueled by Microsoft’s Bing search engine.

One privacy advocate tied Yahoo’s announcement to the Friday launch of Windows 8. “Hunch: Yahoo walked back its Do Not Track commitment today because of the Win8/IE10 launch,” said Jonathan Mayer on Twitter.

Mayer is a graduate student in computer science and law at Stanford University, and one of two researchers at the school who created the HTTP header implementation that signals a user’s DNT preference.

Microsoft debuted IE10 on Oct. 26 as part of Windows 8. A version of the browser for themuch more popular Windows 7 will reach beta—Microsoft calls that a “preview”—in mid-November. IE10 on Windows 7 will also have the DNT option enabled by default.

“At least Yahoo is honest about why it’s ignoring IE10 Do Not Track,” noted Mayer, also on Twitter, as he quoted the company’s claim that the privacy feature, if turned on, “makes it hard to deliver on our value proposition.”

Also on Friday, Microsoft’s head counsel, Brad Smith, blogged about DNT. Because his comments were based on an Oct. 23 keynote speech at an international conference of data protection and privacy officials, he did not address Yahoo’s move.

In the blog post, Smith defended Microsoft’s decision on IE10 and DNT, citing a survey the company commissioned that said 75% percent of U.S. and European consumers wanted DNT switched on by default.

(Smith’s Oct. 23 keynote presentation can be found on the Microsoft website ( download PDF).

Smith also urged all browser makers to “clearly communicate to consumers whether the DNT signal is turned on or off, and make it easy for them to change the setting,” a reference to Windows 8’s notice during setup.

Olds saw Yahoo’s statement as giving it an out, noting that the explicit reason it gave was due to the lack of a clear and comprehensive standard, and that the company used the phrase “at this time” in its statement.

He predicted that Yahoo would get more attention, virtually all negative, for ignoring IE10’s DNT preference than it had when it announced last March that it would support the standard.

And there will be more tussling, not less, over DNT as time goes by, both Brookman and Olds forecast.

“The most interesting question in all this is how Microsoft responds to companies that reject their DNT instructions,” said Brookman. “They can’t just sit back and let their users’ privacy settings be ignored—they would lose credibility with their customer base.”

“This topic is not going to go away,” Olds prognosticated. “As tracking becomes even more sophisticated, it will be a much bigger issue as advertisers use big data along with other information they’ve gleaned on you. It’s going to really start crossing the creepy threshold.”

Brookman sees the possibility of a full-fledged war between browser vendors and online advertisers if Microsoft responds by, for instance, blocking ads from domains that don’t honor its IE10 signal.

“DNT was really designed to prevent this sort of user-browser-advertiser war … but I know most of the browser makers are getting increasingly skeptical about how ad networks are going to honor the signal,” said Brookman. “Escalated warfare may be inevitable.”

Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment on Yahoo’s announcement.

Source: pcworld.com

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Teardown finds Microsoft Surface RT tough to get into, with modular options inside

Microsoft's Surface RT may be handicapped with the new RT version of Windows 8, but should it break, is it more likely to wind up in a repair shop or a landfill?

As is its custom whenever a new mobile product hits the market, repair site iFixit has delved into the guts of the Surface RT, taking a look at the parts and repairability of Microsoft's tablet. The basic gist of iFixit's findings? Surface RT is difficult to enter, but once inside, you'll find a number of approachable repair opportunities.

Do not cross

As with Apple's iPad, the Surface RT takes some time and skills to break into, making it painfully obvious that getting into the device is not encouraged. The tough-to-remove camera cover hides seven crucial Torx screws on top of another ten placed throughout the device.

After removing the screws you'll have the break the "Surface" tamper-evident seal to get inside. Bye, bye warranty!

Modular love

Luckily the 7.4 V, 31.5 Wh battery is much easier to remove than the one powering the iPad. It's lightly glued down but with the help of the trusty spudgerand a couple minutes of patience, it's out.

If your speakers die out, you'll be happy to know those are modular, too. Just a little more prying and they come right out, leaving the Surface soundless.

Other odds and ends are easy to remove, such as the Surface's headphone jack and volume buttons that share the same ribbon cable. The front- and rear-facing cameras are easy to remove, but only after the motherboard is taken out to reveal the plastic bezel that pins them down.

Screen fusion

When a tablet needs repairs, chances are it's the screen. In the Surface's case, iFixit notes that the LCD and the glass plane are fused together, making separate repairs of the parts impossible. That drives up the cost.

Even if you do want to go ahead with the screen replacement, it will require a heat gun and a saint's patience to get to it. Long story short: don't break the screen.

The takeaway

The Microsoft Surface RT may take after Fort Knox by being a pain to break into it. But once inside, iFixit found plenty of removable and replaceable modular parts. However, that stops as soon as you reach the LCD and glass pane screen. The fused components will need to be replaced for a hefty price if you aren't careful with your tablet.

Source: pcworld.com

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Microsoft launches Windows Phone app for Windows 8 and RT

Hot on the heels of Friday’s Windows 8 release—and shortly before the full unveiling of Windows Phone 8 Monday—Microsoft released the Windows Phone desktop app for its latest computer operating systems, Windows 8 and Windows RT.

This companion app helps complete the Windows ecosystem: it syncs music, photos, and videos between Windows mobile devices and PCs.

According to the app’s listing in the Windows Store, the syncing process is automatic once set up: photos and videos taken on your Windows Phone 8 are instantly saved to your PC, and vice versa. You can also share search results between devices, and you don’t even have to open the app on your desktop to move items around.

To make sure your phone always has room for more content, the app will also indicate how much space you’re using for each type of content.

Windows Phone for Windows 8 and Windows RT is available for free through theWindows Store.

Source: techhive.com

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Yet another way to restore the Start button in Windows 8

Windows 7, I presume? No, Windows 8
running Win8 StartButton.

I'm trying to like Windows 8, really I am, but two aspects feel like a slap in the face: Forcing me to boot into the Start screen when Desktop mode is what I'd prefer, and the lack of a Start button in said mode.

Win8 StartButton is the latest utility that aims to right what's wrong with the new OS. Not only does it provide a "classic" Start button, it also gives you the option of making the desktop your default boot destination. Huzzah!

Right from the get-go, Win8 StartButton displays a Windows 7-style Start button and Start menu. You can venture into the settings to tweak everything from the look (Windows XP, anyone?) to the layout, but I suspect most users will be quite happy with the defaults.

During installation, make sure to choose the Custom option, otherwise you could end up with unwanted junkware: Torch Browser 2.0 and Media Player Classic.

It's worth noting that Win8 StartButton looks to be a slightly tweaked version of Classic Shell, the open-source Start solution I mentioned last week.

If you want something that's little more in keeping with Windows 8's app-centric philosophy, check out Pokki. It supplies a Start, er, acorn, plus a pretty robust app store.

Source: pcworld.com

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Review: Intel's Series 335 delivers more SSD for less money

Intel has revved up its mainstream SSD line from the Series 330 to the Series 335, and the company sent over a 240GB model for evaluation (and 240GB is apparently the only capacity it is launching this series with). The new drives feature 20nm NAND flash memory, compared with the 25nm chips in the older series, but Intel continues to use an LSI/SandForce SF-2281 controller with custom Intel firmware. The company uses the same controller in its Series 330 and Series 520 drives.

But what may be of most interest to consumers is that the Series 335 is significantly cheaper per gigabyte: Intel expects this 240GB drive to cost about the same as a 180GB Series 330. And while the product was officially embargoed until 8:30 a.m. on October 29, we saw it listed for sale online the evening of October 28 at prices between $184 and $225, including shipping.

Like its most recent predecessors, the Series 335 is outfitted with a SATA revision 3.0 (6gbits/s) interface, and the drive comes housed inside a 2.5-inch enclosure that is 9.5mm thick. That thick profile renders it unsuitable for many current ultraportables; however, the stout of heart can easily remove the board from its enclosure and fit it inside a thinner case or install it directly into a vacant drive bay (although doing either will likely void Intel’s three-year warranty).

To judge the unit's performance, the PCWorld Labs put it through our 10GB copy and read tests. Keeping in mind that our current test bed uses a 7200-rpm hard drive to feed and read data from our test subjects, the 335 performed very well. It wrote our 10GB mix of files and folders at 93.2MBps and read them at 57.9MBps; and it wrote our single 10GB file at 124.1MBps while reading it at 129.8MBps.

I conducted some testing outside the lab by replacing the 128GB Kingston SSDNow V Series in my AMD e-450-based laptop with the 240GB 335. The Kingston remains capable in spite of its age, but no one would describe it as a blinding-fast SSD, as evidenced by its PassMark hard-disk score of 260.7. Intel’s 240GB Series 335 drive scored a 2078—nearly 10 times faster. The feel of the system was obviously quite a bit snappier.

Intel’s 20nm NAND flash renders the Series 335 a step up from Intel’s earlier SSDs, but the aggressive pricing is probably the better news for consumers—and it could be bad news for the slew of manufacturers that recently announced new hybrid hard drives.

Source: pcworld.com

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