My Windows 8 Pro Upgrade!

I did it! I took the plunge!! I've officially downloaded and installed Windows 8 Pro on my primary Intel Acer system ($39). I was a little nervous at first because my consumer preview experience was less than smooth. But I really enjoy my Windows phone 7.5 live tile experience so I decided what the hell.

The install was painless at about 1 1/2 hrs and the resulting Win 8 OS DEFINITELY speeds up the boot process (finally). Pretty much all my applications are compatible except my VPN Checkpoint app (fortunately I found an online workaround). And my StarTech USB - VGA extended desktop device didn't work because StarTech needs to wright a new driver for Win 8. Aside from those annoyances everything migrated successfully and than it was simply a matter of tackling the leaning curve of setting up accounts, personalization and navigating the software. (The Charms bar is interesting)

I am happy to report that by 5am EST I had mastered Windows 8 and feel comfortable enough to use it productively on a daily basis. This OS is NOT a Vista experience. It's tight and I can feel that any bugs and chunkiness I experienced with the consumer preview have been worked out and perfected.

I purchased the Microsoft touch mouse today because I really want to a fluid touch experience with this OS as it is clearly geared towards this new UI. unfortunately though, my KVM switch wouldn't support it and switching back and forth between mice for my secondary systems would be self defeating and confusing. I would however consider purchasing a touch monitor one day as the 'Metro' UI is quite slick and fun to use. I've tried it on various demo laptops...but until then I can manage quite efficiently with an old fashion optical mouse.

I'm so impressed at how this OS really ties in your social apps, News, Email accounts etc.. It's interactive and it engages you. The days of the static cluttered icon desktop and Start menu are dead...
Windows 8 is the future folks and it's here to stay. Get on board!


RPM

The good: Windows 8 embraces the future wholeheartedly. Log-in and boot times are fast, the apps look gorgeous, and the Sync feature brings seamless transition between devices.

The bad: The learning curve is steep and in-app navigation isn't obvious. There are just too many known unknowns here.

The bottom line: Microsoft makes an aggressive, forward-thinking, and bold statement for the future of PCs with Windows 8, and vast security and speed improvements more than justify the $40 upgrade price.