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Not to mention that the mouse is dying. Microsoft knows this, Apple knows this, and Google knows this.

Only a fool would think the mouse is dying. It may no longer be the only input method but it's going nowhere. Nothing can beat it when you're actually trying to get work done and not just consuming content.

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Only a fool would think the mouse is dying. It may no longer be the only input method but it's going nowhere. Nothing can beat it when you're actually trying to get work done and not just consuming content.

Did you even read the article?

While it will die as the primary input method for computing, the mouse will continue to reside for many years as a precision tool. It?s something that graphical designers and hardcore gamers will continue to pray at the alter of (or trackballs, I suppose). But the rest of us will be touching our data, our apps, the web, etc. And this early look at Windows 8 is nothing if not an admission of that.

The mouse had a good run. But it?s over.

Not sure why there's so much whining over wanting shiny, glossy, translucent things. I remember the move to aero glass in the first place was widely panned on these forums too. The forum was split down the middle about its introduction. Glass was ugly, glass was a "disco", glass was distracting, glass was cluttered, glass was bloated, on and on.

Now it's leaving and it's whine, whine, whine again.

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everyone is making changes, Apple, Google and Microsoft. All of them hoping to get to the finish line the quickest. Apple is slowly making changes between ios and osx but they are taking a long time. Google just don't really know what they are doing and are going around in circles, Microsoft is making one swoop at changing it all at the same time. Windows 8 is a far superior OS to windows 7, it will just take a while for everyone to see that.

Not sure why there's so much whining over wanting shiny, glossy, translucent things. I remember the move to aero glass in the first place was widely panned on these forums too. The forum was split down the middle about its introduction. Glass was ugly, glass was a "disco", glass was distracting, glass was cluttered, glass was bloated, on and on.

Now it's leaving and it's whine, whine, whine again.

People on here, or maybe it's just techies in general, suffer from some serious memory problems. Every thing they're now holding up as oh so great when first introduced years ago had just as many people whining about it and how it sucks. Now today many of those people seem to forget those older complaints because they found something new to whine about and heck it wouldn't be good for their "point" to remember it.

The Win8 Blog post does a good job of pointing out the complaints and I remember most of them as well since I've been using computers back when the Apple IIe was king. It'll never end, and MS knows this. While they'll make changes where it fits in the end metro is here to stay, the desktop is going to change to fit metro and the start screen and in the end we're in a post-pc era anyways, right? BTW Win8 works great with just a keyboard, if any of you are power users like you make it seem then you wouldn't cry over the mouse or touch options.

You don't know what you're talking about or how accelerated graphics work at all do you.

And how does removing transparency make it ony for battery powered devices, when transparency or not it has no effect on battery time.

??? Have a reading comprehension problem? Go back to pre-school. I didn't say removing transparency improves battery life. The removal of glass, transparencies, gradients and eye candy etc is being justified by some here as the factors affecting battery life so I said even if that were true (MS doesn't say anything on their B8 blog about it but the glass affecting battery life topic was discussed ages ago: http://windowsteambl...ttery-life.aspx), powered-devices should have been able to enjoy Aero glass. They are just removing the glass to match Metro.

everyone is making changes, Apple, Google and Microsoft. All of them hoping to get to the finish line the quickest. Apple is slowly making changes between ios and osx but they are taking a long time. Google just don't really know what they are doing and are going around in circles, Microsoft is making one swoop at changing it all at the same time. Windows 8 is a far superior OS to windows 7, it will just take a while for everyone to see that.

Great post.

Are they also planning to remove the 'glass' effect from the taskbar as well?

Great post.

Are they also planning to remove the 'glass' effect from the taskbar as well?

I'd like to say no, I think in the end the taskbar will keep it's "glass" look though it'll be toned down and not like the Win7 version.

Yea, I am in the same train of thought. Windows 7 is exactly what I want in terms of user-interface, and interaction. Windows 8 just isn't for me.

Microsoft can really win here. A really meaningful Windows 7 SP2 will go a long way. There's a lot in 8 that can't go in 7, but driver refresh, optimizations, fixes, native USB 3.0, etc. will instill a lot of Good Will and smooth things over until Windows 8 and the native Metro apps desperately needed prove themselves. Considering how many WILL stay with Windows 7, hopefully they do this.

Funny thing is, Windows 7 doesn't need much. Microsoft needs to generate a reason for people to upgrade (revenue stream).

Love it or hate it, and I do hate Metro on the desktop, Windows 8 will make PCs more useable and accesible to non-technical consumers. That be millions of people whose PCs just collect dust and send the occasional email now.

where did what go? Below see Win8 CP and aero "glass" effects.

Can you see the background through the title bar and taskbar?

That's the old consumer preview. I hope you realize it is not finished and that there are and will continue to be newer builds until it's final.

The Aero glass effects are gone now. Also did you really need to make three posts in a row?

The OS that just keeps giving. Perhaps next they can remove all the colour and start using nothing but white, grey and black. Then the transformation back to the mid 80's will be complete.

Have you seen the amount of under-the-hood improvements and other positive changes they've made with Windows 8? You're looking at one aspect of the OS and taking it as gospel for the rest.

There are obviously newer internal builds, the consumer preview was never going to be the final version.

And just because there are "newer" internal builds, what I just posted, proving Aero is still there.. and "Glass" is there too is rubbish?

And just because there are "newer" internal builds, what I just posted, proving Aero is still there.. and "Glass" is there too is rubbish?

Facepalm. Aero glass has been removed from the latest build and it will not be in the final. It's gone.

No one is talking about the consumer preview, it's an old build and a lot has changed since then.

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Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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