pc world Windows 8.1 usa 2014-04

APRIL 2014 GAMEVOLUTION THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE GAME MARKETING SUMMIT THE ESSENTIAL CONFERENCE FOR INTERACTIVE GAME MARKETERS www.GameMarketingSummit.com REGISTER NOW at 9TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE and AWARDS APRIL 23, 2014 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts San Francisco, CA » DEPARTMENTS 5 News 28 Consumer Watch 43 Reviews & Ratings 132 Farewell, Pat McGovern » COLUMNS 113 Here’s How » FEATURES 83 12 PC upgades for under $300 99 Laptops for work and play APRIL 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 122 Hassle-Free PC 125 Answer Line 3 Get your digital PCWorld now! enhanced editions The best way to experience PCWorld magazine on your device. Get it here: go.pcworld.com/digital DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Monthly recurring, $1.99 per month; single issue, $6.99 The enhanced editions on Android, iPad, and Kindle provide these kinds of interactivity and more! VIDEOS: Tap and play videos (with Internet connection). SLIDESHOWS: Swipe image to activate slides. 360-DEGREE VIEWS: See products from all angles. NEWS 6 Windows 8.1’s spring update 16 UI designer: Forcing Metro on all is great for power users 19 Microsoft to use a pop-up to push users off XP 22 Intel wants its new mobile chips in all your devices 25 Three big trends ruled the Mobile World Congress 5 » By far the most welcome change in the Windows 8.1 update is one that many users may not even notice. If Windows 8.1 does not detect a touchscreen input on your device, it’ll boot directly to the desktop to keep its finger-friendly live tiles away from keyboard-and-mouse users. The opeating system then tosses up a new tutorial prompt to tell you how to find the modern Stat screen. Boot to desktop by default Windows 8.1’s spring update Due in early April, the OS’s third refresh might be the charm. BY BRAD CHACOS Tech and trends that will aect you today and beyond. NEWS 6 » Microsoft’s modern Windows 8 apps now appear in the taskbar, mimicking the functionality of taditional desktop software. The Windows Store app is pinned in the taskbar by default in the Windows 8.1 update, to seve as a guidepost and to drive users to Microsoft’s marketplace. Modern apps still appear full screen when maximized; windowed modern apps are repotedly in store for the 8.2 update (“Threshold”) in 2015. Modern apps on the desktop taskbar 7 » In modern apps, you now can find the taskbar by moving your cursor to the bottom of the screen. The taskbar spans the screen’s length even when multiple modern apps are snapped side by side. As a result, bouncing between standard desktop progams and modern apps is much less of a burden (though still not seamless). Unfotunately, the taskbar sometimes covers inteface elements in modern apps since they weren’t designed with it in mind. The taskbar is everywhere  Inside Windows 8.1’s spring update NEWS » Previously, closing modern apps or snapping them side by side required moving your cursor to the top of the screen, clicking and holding, and dagging the app to one of the edges—a gesture designed for touch displays. In the new update, a title bar appears at the top of modern apps. Clicking the upper left corner reveals a mouse-ready context menu with sizing options, while minimize and close buttons appear at the upper right. Mouse-friendly title-bar menus 9 » On the Windows 8.1 Stat screen, if you’re using a mouse, right- clicking an app now pops up an options menu for that live tile. In contast, if you’re using a touch input, the familiar modern-style options bar pops up at the bottom of the screen. And the Stat screen now includes discrete power and search buttons at the upper right. Before, you could find those crucial functions only via the hidden charm bar. Start screen changes  Inside Windows 8.1’s spring update [...]... life 24 NEWS Watch the video at go.pcworld com/mwc2014 Three big trends ruled the Mobile World Congress BY FLORENCE ION, SUSIE OCHS, AND MELISSA RIOFRIO WE SPENT A WEEK IN BARCELONA at the Mobile World Congress, wading through wearables (go.pcworld.com/wearables), sampling many smartphones (go.pcworld.com/tensp), and trying out a tablet or two While the Galaxy S5 (go.pcworld.com/galaxys5) was the biggest... over to their new machine The free software is available from WindowsXP.com If users want to transfer applications from Windows XP, they can do so, but they’ll need PCmover Professional (go.pcworld.com/ pcmover) Normally the price for that version is $60, but after a Microsoft-sponsored discount it’s just $24 21 Watch the video at go.pcworld com/merri Intel wants its new mobile chips in all your devices... Reading Mode is now more clearly labeled 13 Inside Windows 8.1 s spring update Disk Space menu in PC Setings » Windows 8.1 added a slew of granular options to the modern version of PC Settings in a bid to keep lovers of Microsoft’s touchcentric interface ensconced in it The update continues the shift by including a new ‘Disk space’ menu under the PC and devices’ options, which provides tools for you... be enticing Windows 8.1 started the migration, adding an optional boot-todesktop feature and numerous tweaks that improve the modern interface: more control settings, more flexible snap functionality, and Bing Smart Search Microsoft’s modern apps are constantly adapting, too, as the company shifts toward rapid-fire updates Leaked versions of the impending Windows 8.1 update 1 (see Windows 8.1 s spring... encourage Windows XP users to move to Windows 7 or Windows 8, Microsoft began pushing a pop-up window to users’ machines in March The company is also partnering with LapLink to offer a free migration tool to assist with the transition 19 Pop-ups generally raise suspicion, but this one’s legitimate By now, PCWorld readers and other people who keep up with tech news should know that the expiration date for Windows. .. two While the Galaxy S5 (go.pcworld.com/galaxys5) was the biggest product to debut—with wearables from Sony (go.pcworld.com/sonywear) and Huawei (go.pcworld.com/talkband) also garnering attention—it’s not a revolutionary release for Samsung, despite some impressive software additions (go.pcworld.com/s5features) We noticed three trends Low-end phones: Flagship models like the S5 aside, most phone makers... Inside Windows 8.1 s spring update Show more apps in Apps view » The All Apps screen that displays installed programs has received a slight rejiggering The Tiles menu under the Settings charm now has a ‘Show more apps in Apps view’ option, which does what you’d expect by reducing the size of each app’s icon The condensed view should come in handy for traditional -PC users who configured their Windows 8.1. .. on a full charge, according to Intel The tests simulate real -world cell-phone use, which is sporadic, as opposed to Intel showed its Merrifield and Moorefield chips running in reference designs at the Mobile World Congress 23 the rundown tests traditionally conducted for PCs The demo also included two identical Windows tablets, one running Windows at 32 bits and the other at 64 bits, “just to show we... lot to like, usability experts panned many of the design choices, and power users felt abandoned But beyond bridging the gap between PC and tablet, Windows immersion in the interface formerly known as Metro may have had another purpose: separating novice and power users This move could preserve the best of Windows while making it more palatable to the casual computing public “Before Windows 8 and... and to encourage their parents to buy a new PC Or a Mac Or a Chromebook For those people who want to provide such family tech support, Microsoft is offering a free copy of PCmover Express for Windows XP, which will copy files, music, videos, email, and user profiles and settings from the old PC to the new system, including across a network The utility also allows Windows XP users to customize exactly what . Here’s How » FEATURES 83 12 PC upgades for under $300 99 Laptops for work and play APRIL 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 122 Hassle-Free PC 125 Answer Line 3 Get your digital PCWorld now! enhanced editions The. your digital PCWorld now! enhanced editions The best way to experience PCWorld magazine on your device. Get it here: go.pcworld.com/digital DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Monthly recurring, $1.99 per. version of PC Settings in a bid to keep lovers of Microsoft’s touch- centric inteface ensconced in it. The update continues the shift by including a new ‘Disk space’ menu under the PC and devices’