Windows 8.1 Will Have Miracast, Wi-Fi Direct Printing

[exfileme]

Microsoft released more details regarding Windows 8.1.

Windows 8.1 Will Have Miracast, Wi-Fi Direct Printing : Read more

 

[koss64]

Print by Bonk, awsome, lol!

 

[tpi2007]

Nice to see they are improving Windows 8, but the problematic context switching between Modern interface and desktop appears to still stand, and that philosophy behind the OS will always make it a pass for businesses.

While the new "all apps" view option may please some people and make it a more bearable experience, pressing the returned Start button will still take you to the Modern interface, and with that, by not making the taskbar visible from the Start screen, you're still working within the same two desktop disruptive philosophy.

Let's just hope that the update is also available through Windows update and / or as a separate download and not only through the Windows Store like Tami Reller mentioned, I intend to use a local account and thus won't be playing along with the low move by Microsoft to try to lure people into the store. Make the update available without the need to log into Windows by using a Microsoft account.

 

[koss64]

Print by Bonk, awsome, lol!

 

[shafe88]

We built Windows 8 to bring the most powerful and modern computing experience to businesses

ROFL

 

[Vorador2]

"simply tap an NFC-enabled Windows 8.1 device against any printer and users are instantly good-to-go."
I'm the only one that thinks this is ridiculous? I mean you need to:
1º Carry your device physically to the involved printer, unplugging it from the cradle/dock/cable/whatever.
2º Put the device just above the printer.
3º Hit the print/pair button.
4º Wait until it prints.
5º Go back carrying both the device and the printed paper.
A great "improvement" over your tipical network shared printer.
1º Print on your shared printer.
2º Go to the printer, pick the paper and go back.

 

[panders4]

I'm fairly certain the printer NFC tag only acts as a pointer to what kind of driver it needs to install and where to look for the printer on the network. Once the printer is installed, you should be able to use it like any other printer. Is it worth putting an NFC tag on the printer for what should be a one time setup for your device? Probably not.

 

[Osmin]

Everyone misses the point with windows 8 on a desktop and focusing on complaining about the missing start button. The start button was a target to hit with the mouse so you did not constantly throw off the mouse gradually over time and the start button made it simple for many users. The Windows 7 start menu made it quick and easy to start your most recent programs with the most recent files and in Windows 8 you are either scrolling and hunting or typing to find an app. Windows 8 is like having the Windows 98 start menu with all folders open making it cluttered and harder to find the program you are looking for. The start button was not the main problem or Metro Apps themselves. It was the inability for Metro apps to run in a resizable window on the desktop with the option for full screen mode. If you want to see the calendar while using Word, you would need to flip flop to a full screen app instead of having a small calendar showing constantly on the side of the desktop. As long as people could not tell the difference between a desktop and a Metro app, then adapting to Metro would not have been an issue. Imagine you have a large display and the Calculator app was a full screen app that you would need to toggle back and forth needlessly. Full screen Metro apps are for tablets and small devices but not suitable for laptops and desktops with large displays.

 

[Osmin]

Everyone misses the point with windows 8 on a desktop and focusing on complaining about the missing start button. The start button was a target to hit with the mouse so you did not constantly throw off the mouse gradually over time and the start button made it simple for many users. The Windows 7 start menu made it quick and easy to start your most recent programs with the most recent files and in Windows 8 you are either scrolling and hunting or typing to find an app. Windows 8 is like having the Windows 98 start menu with all folders open making it cluttered and harder to find the program you are looking for. The start button was not the main problem or Metro Apps themselves. It was the inability for Metro apps to run in a resizable window on the desktop with the option for full screen mode. If you want to see the calendar while using Word, you would need to flip flop to a full screen app instead of having a small calendar showing constantly on the side of the desktop. As long as people could not tell the difference between a desktop and a Metro app, then adapting to Metro would not have been an issue. Imagine you have a large display and the Calculator app was a full screen app that you would need to toggle back and forth needlessly. Full screen Metro apps are for tablets and small devices but not suitable for laptops and desktops with large displays.

 

[jezus53]

Everyone misses the point with windows 8 on a desktop and focusing on complaining about the missing start button. The start button was a target to hit with the mouse so you did not constantly throw off the mouse gradually over time and the start button made it simple for many users. The Windows 7 start menu made it quick and easy to start your most recent programs with the most recent files and in Windows 8 you are either scrolling and hunting or typing to find an app. Windows 8 is like having the Windows 98 start menu with all folders open making it cluttered and harder to find the program you are looking for. The start button was not the main problem or Metro Apps themselves. It was the inability for Metro apps to run in a resizable window on the desktop with the option for full screen mode. If you want to see the calendar while using Word, you would need to flip flop to a full screen app instead of having a small calendar showing constantly on the side of the desktop. As long as people could not tell the difference between a desktop and a Metro app, then adapting to Metro would not have been an issue. Imagine you have a large display and the Calculator app was a full screen app that you would need to toggle back and forth needlessly. Full screen Metro apps are for tablets and small devices but not suitable for laptops and desktops with large displays.

You know you can resize those? I do it everyday. It's a different process than just clicking and dragging the window though. You have to move the mouse to the left hand side and click and drag the window to the right, but only partially. This makes it take up a third of the screen. Great for taking notes while looking at slides or have a calculator right there on the side. Takes some getting used to though.

 

[Osmin]

Thanks Jezus53 for reminding me of the feature that is part of Windows 8. I use Windows 8 less frequently than I use Windows 7 and I made a misleading statement because of my oversight. The point I was trying to make was that I prefer to move any number of apps anywhere on my desktop without having to resort to a workaround. It makes you feel you are running two different operating systems at the same time with the need for workarounds. Wouldn’t it be great if every time you open the calendar Metro app it would be the same size and place on the desktop? Why do I need to lose a third of my screen space for a weather app and a calendar app that used to be widgets in windows 7.

 

[milktea]

Windows 8 was just a preview release. Lets see if Windows 8.1 is going to be better. As long as it's a free upgrade for existing Win8 licenses, I wouldn't mind trying it out. But the new OS better run on VirtualBox.

 

[nlcbryan]

Ugh i'm just tired of people complaining about the metro and desktop thing. Install start8 or something free and get over with it.
If you are using RT, u are using it for touch anyway.
I understand, this is a stupid design decision by microsoft and i hate it..but get over with it

 

[nlcbryan]

Ugh i'm just tired of people complaining about the metro and desktop thing. Install start8 or something free and get over with it.
If you are using RT, u are using it for touch anyway.
I understand, this is a stupid design decision by microsoft and i hate it..but get over with it

 

[danwat1234]

NFC printers, I love it! Reminds me of the infrared ports on old HP printers and how my old Pentium 1 laptop, you just lined it up with the printer within a foot or so, and battabing battaboom it printed wirelessly. I wonder if laptops will get NFC, and if WIDI will become standard as well.

 

[somebodyspecial]

These features won't do anything to sway me on win8's problems and I already have network printing in house. You can add 10,000 features, but that's not the problem. You need to fix the parts I HATE about 8. Hey that rhymed...LOL.

 

[koss64]

Print by Bonk, awsome, lol!

 

[Osmin]

Microsoft still doesn't get it that the start button was not the main problem or Metro Apps themselves. The start button was a target to hit with the mouse so you did not constantly throw off the mouse gradually over time and the start button made it simple for many users. The Windows 7 start menu made it quick and easy to start your most recent programs with the most recent files and in Windows 8 you are either scrolling and hunting or typing to find an app. Windows 8 is like having the Windows 98 start menu with all folders open making it cluttered and harder to find the program you are looking for. It was the inability for Metro apps to run in a resizable window on the desktop with the option for full screen mode. If you want to see the calendar while using Word, you would need to either flip flop to a full screen app or waste a chunk of your display to show a single app on the desktop instead of having a small app showing constantly anywhere on the desktop. As long as people could not tell the difference between a desktop and a Metro app, then adapting to Metro would not have been an issue. They took the unobtrusive widgets away, which saved more space on the desktop, which helped avoid small useful apps from clogging the open windows.