The Windows RT Review
by Vivek Gowri & Anand Lal Shimpi on October 25, 2012 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Windows RT
- Operating Systems
- Microsoft
- Mobile
- Windows 8
- Tablets
The Keyboard(s) - Handwriting Recognition Returns
Windows RT comes with three keyboards. The standard QWERTY keyboard looks and feels like a larger version of the Windows Phone 7 keyboard, with the same design aesthetic and similar pop-up options for punctuation. In Modern UI, it takes up the entire bottom half of the screen, but interestingly enough, in desktop mode it doesn’t quite stretch full screen - there’s roughly 20 pixels left on either side of the keyboard. You can choose to stretch it out such that it spans the width of the screen, which changes the key aspect ratio and makes the entire thing wider. It doesn’t change the usability at all, but it was an odd bit of discontinuity. The number page has a unique layout, with a number-pad on the right and commonly used punctuation and symbols on the left. Other than that though, it’s a pretty straightforward keyboard that does its job well.
The second keyboard is a split keyboard, but instead of being an overlay, it takes up the same amount of space as the regular QWERTY and adds a number pad right in the middle. The unorthodox layout is somewhat jarring at first, but if you want to type with your thumbs, this is the only way to do it. I honestly prefer the way Apple does it, with two separate key banks on either side of the screen (and actually, I think the first time I saw it like that was on the old Origami UMPCs back in the day) - it lets you see more of the display and ends up being more functional because of that.
The last keyboard is actually probably the most interesting, because it’s not really a keyboard. It’s the return of our old friend, the handwriting input panel. This is one of the only places I can find any remaining trace of the tablet PC era. None of the devices we had to test were pen-enabled, so the only way to use it was using our finger as a capacitive input. I was actually shocked at how well it worked. I know quite a few people waiting on the Wacom-infused Windows 8 Pro slates, but for those on a budget, I can easily see the handwriting input being quite useful in conjunction with OneNote and a capacitive stylus.
With Microsoft integrating a keyboard into the Surface covers, ASUS going so far as to bundle the laptop dock as a default feature with the VivoTab RT (they didn’t even want to talk pricing of the tablet individually), and almost everyone else offering at least the option of an add-on keyboard accessory, the virtual keyboard is a bit less critical here than it is on some other platforms. Beyond basic URL entry, I barely touched the virtual keyboard - for writing, email, messaging, or anything else, I just picked up the laptop dock. Given how much the physical typing experiences have been emphasized by the hardware manufacturers, it’s very plausible to think that the virtual keyboards could get relatively little use.
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khanikun - Friday, October 26, 2012 - link
Think you hang out with a lot of kids, cause everyone I know doesn't promote games. They promote useful apps. Cardstar, vehicle traffic apps, gas prices around you apps, etc. Well, at least what I saw in the DC/Baltimore area.Maybe in middle-of-nowhere, where there is barely any traffic, 1 supermarket, 3 gas stations, they don't need such apps and just play games.
dysonlu - Friday, October 26, 2012 - link
Well, I guess you hang out with middle age people who drive gas guzzlers and trucks then. See what I did there, dick?Just take a look at the Apple App Store charts, mostly games and entertainment apps rule. Do some reading. It's not just coincidence that Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, etc., became household names.
Oh and try to argue without insulting or degrading others. You may not be a kid but you should grow up.
designerfx - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
yeah this was never true, even for android and ios. it was a rumor started by....wait for it, wait for it..............Microsoft.
NeuroticNomad - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
You ARE aware that Apple stopped accepting fart apps back in September of 2010... over 2 years (and 500,000 apps later), are you not?App Store count at the end of Aug 2010: Just under 250,000
Source: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/08/28/apple-app-s...
App Store count September 2010: 703,189
Source: http://148apps.biz/app-store-metrics/
Fart App Ban: September 2010
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/09/apples-app-stor...
NeuroticNomad - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Second link is for 2012, not 2010.appliance5000 - Thursday, November 1, 2012 - link
I find that disappointing.cappasay - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
Yesterday the latest report said 7k apps. I can't attest to their quality.. but your statement about taking "at least a year" for "tens of thousands of apps" seems a bit off.p05esto - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
How many stupid apps do you actualyl use? I installed about 20 apps when I first got my tablet and have hardly installed anything else. I surf the web mostly, check a little email and play checkers....that's about it!tbutler - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
I also think the review is being overly optimistic about Metro apps.The argument is that Windows 8 will have a huge install base, therefore developers will write Metro apps for Windows 8. But the review itself admits "for mouse-based navigation, you’re better off treating it as a glorified Start menu", and indeed the 'traditionalist' reply to Win8 critics seems to be "other than the Start screen, you can ignore Metro and just use it like you used Win7." If this is the way people are going to use it, the installed base argument is worthless; all those supposed millions of Windows 8 users are going to be in desktop mode, so there's no incentive to write Metro apps for them.
Metro app development is going to have to rise or fall on the strength of the tablet market, which is a much iffier prospect.
a5cent - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
I expect to see the market split between power users / IT workers and consumers.Professionals requiring the heavyweight software packages (MatLab, Maya, Photoshop, etc) will probably stick with the view that the start screen is nothing but a glorified app launcher.
After an adaptation period however, consumers will find themselves using Metro more and more often and at some point, desktop mode will become irrelevant for many, including those with laptop and desktop PC's. So I do think notebook/desktop sales will help strengthen the market for Metro app developers.