subject: Windows 8: Ushering Full Screen Apps [print this page] For Windows users, working on full screen apps would be a refreshing experience. Windows 8 brings you a never-seen-before full screen view for all its apps. Thanks to the tablet-optimized Metro User Interface. It eradicates the traditional menus, app bars and widgets that clutter your screen. No interface elements are permanently pinned on the desktop interface. The aesthetic appeal of Windows 8 apps will leave iOS and Android behind it. Whether you want to type an official document, make a presentation, view your favorite pictures or browse the web, Windows 8 allows you to go full-screen with all of it.
Users who wish to see the clock, battery strength, etc, can do it from the Charms menu. To get to the Charms menu, you just need to swipe it open. When you are done with viewing it, you need to simply touch anywhere on the display to re-hide it.
Full-screen apps cater to home and business users alike. Writers can open Microsoft Word to full screen view on tablets as well. There is no menu hanging from top, no scroll or taskbar at the edges that bring back the monotony of desktop computing.
You can easily view photos as well in full screen to bring back the lighter moments that you have spent with your friends and family. You can even share them on social networking sites. All you have to do is slide your finger to get to the Share option from Charms menu. From this menu you can also search for files. Moreover, the Metro User Interface from Microsoft allows you to view multiple applications on one screen simultaneously.
For those who spend a lot of time browsing the web, the Internet Explorer 10 is here to give you a delightful browsing experience. The browser display is chrome-less and provides full-screen view of websites. The controls are all hidden from the users view. If you wish to change settings, magnify, save or make other modifications, slide your fingers to the bottom to get the URL bar and other menus. For bookmarking, you can get to the startup screen and do it just by a single tap on the display. You can pin your interests also in the same way. Overall, you get a neat display offering you smart view of websites.
End-users have got a lot to rave about. Same goes for the developers too. The Metro User Interface gives developers plenty of scope to design sophisticated apps for consumers. Whats more, the built-in Windows Store can help developers preview and use apps before releasing the finished product in the market.
In case you are wondering about how Microsoft made so many improvements to Windows, it has been done by integrating Direct X which is a series of Application Programming Interfaces (API). This has led to creation of many different kinds of apps, games and touch-optimized interface for a rich computing experience. Windows 8 can also flatter game enthusiasts with rich 3D gaming experience that has been obtained from XAML backed up by Visual Basic or C#. The Direct X 11.1 which powers HLSL and C++ languages are capable of unleashing the entire graphic resolution of new generation gaming devices.
Incorporation of full-screen apps will undeniably give users fresh enthusiasm towards computing. Prior to Windows 8, no operating system from Microsoft offered the capability. With the consumer preview of Windows 8 released for general use, users can look forward to the official launch very soon.
