windows 8.1

[old_guy]

I got a pop up to down load windows 8.1 for free. Has any one else seen this and down loaded it. I am not to happy with windows 8 so I am not ready to just jump in on some thing that may make it even more difficult to use, or does it make it better to use. any input from you guys?

[burlmart]

speech to command computers as well as to be converted to text is getting very good. communicating (like one of these forum posts) can be done as well via a voice clip. Think of all the voice messages we now send and receive now = thanks to simple answering machines that blossomed some2 or so decades back.

Look at video reviews of products, podcasts, bloggerheads, etc. Who needs to read a long review if an expert ewviewer gives great video.

Pecking keys will be around a long time, but wie'll see less and less of them in use

On edit: spoiler alert: my sprrch grammer is worse than my typing.

[Bumpyroad]

bcsdguy wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
any body who likes speech to text ought to spend some time watching closed captioning on the TV. most words are right.
when I used Dragon repairing the document was more work than just typing it out in the first place, of course I have great typing skills so it was easier for me just to type it out.
bumpy

Bumpy, are you being facetious or don't you capitalize words that begin a sentence.:)

no, I don't really apply myself for typos, etc. in these forums. sometimes I will bother and go back and correct, but I SUPPOSE I COULD JUST START TYPING IN ALL CAPS AND CURE THAT ONE PROBLEM.
and yes, I was a great typist. took the course in high school and had the first male discrimination case in that one. the teacher gave the typing award to Charlotte and I typed rings around her.
🙂
bumpy

[monkey44]

strollin wrote:

monkey44 wrote:
Well, I certainly hope 'touch screen' is NOT the wave of the future. WHo wants to reach out across the keyboard all the time and put a buncha oils and fingerprints all over the screen?

Keyboard and mouse will always be the most effective method, right there in front of you. I can't imagine typing twenty-five or thirty pages one touch at a time on a vertical screen a foot away. Let alone a hundred pages of a tech manual.

I agree wholeheartedly with you on this subject Monkey, touch is NOT the future for devices where you need to get work done.

I've been using Win 8/8.1 for quite awhile now on laptops and desktops and have not had any use for the Metro interface, Metro apps or touch. However, I recently bought a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet that runs the full Windows 8.1 (not RT). On the tablet with no keyboard/mouse, then the touch interface becomes essential and the Metro interface and apps become very useful. It actually works very well as long as you don't need to type much. I can read email and forums, watch movies, listen to music, keep up with the news & weather - all things where I don't need to type much. However, using the on-screen touch keyboard to respond to an email or post to a forum becomes tedious for anything more than a sentence or 2. I could carry around a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to use with it but, IMO, at that point, I may as well be using a laptop instead of a tablet.

Right - two entirely different goals here. One is staying in touch briefly or calling, or making a quick response. The other is getting a job done ... can't imagine touching the screen for more than one sentence ... or a few words. It makes more sense on the smaller devices as it has limited room for anything.

And - as regards the voice / transfer ... you better be absolutely certain that voice transfers the words accurately, because if it's anything to do with legal contracts or evidence, one word misspelled could get very, very expensive.

[bcsdguy]

Bumpyroad wrote:
any body who likes speech to text ought to spend some time watching closed captioning on the TV. most words are right.
when I used Dragon repairing the document was more work than just typing it out in the first place, of course I have great typing skills so it was easier for me just to type it out.
bumpy

Bumpy, are you being facetious or don't you capitalize words that begin a sentence.:)

[Bumpyroad]

any body who likes speech to text ought to spend some time watching closed captioning on the TV. most words are right.
when I used Dragon repairing the document was more work than just typing it out in the first place, of course I have great typing skills so it was easier for me just to type it out.
bumpy

[rvten]

I guess some of you are like my DW.
Had to set her lap Top. So it turns on when she lifts the screen.
She has trouble finding the on/off button. LOL

[strollin]

monkey44 wrote:
Well, I certainly hope 'touch screen' is NOT the wave of the future. WHo wants to reach out across the keyboard all the time and put a buncha oils and fingerprints all over the screen?

Keyboard and mouse will always be the most effective method, right there in front of you. I can't imagine typing twenty-five or thirty pages one touch at a time on a vertical screen a foot away. Let alone a hundred pages of a tech manual.

I agree wholeheartedly with you on this subject Monkey, touch is NOT the future for devices where you need to get work done.

I've been using Win 8/8.1 for quite awhile now on laptops and desktops and have not had any use for the Metro interface, Metro apps or touch. However, I recently bought a Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet that runs the full Windows 8.1 (not RT). On the tablet with no keyboard/mouse, then the touch interface becomes essential and the Metro interface and apps become very useful. It actually works very well as long as you don't need to type much. I can read email and forums, watch movies, listen to music, keep up with the news & weather - all things where I don't need to type much. However, using the on-screen touch keyboard to respond to an email or post to a forum becomes tedious for anything more than a sentence or 2. I could carry around a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to use with it but, IMO, at that point, I may as well be using a laptop instead of a tablet.

[burlmart]

Bill.Satellite wrote:

the days of text forums like these

Forums are going to go away because some day we will have good voice to text software? Isn't the whole point to get text as the end result?

Good point to note. I was thinking several things at once.

I know things like legal docs may persist, so speech to text there. But typing is an ackeard way of co,,unicating, in general, so, for example, a forum entry will be a sound clip like voicemail, and a speech to text title is how it will appear in a forum list.

Think about how little we use handwriting now. Keyboarding will likewise diminish w/ automation improvements.

On edit: My typos help make my point a bit.

[Bill_Satellite]

the days of text forums like these

Forums are going to go away because some day we will have good voice to text software? Isn't the whole point to get text as the end result?

[Bumpyroad]

burlmart wrote:
With speech to text getting strong, the days of text forums like these and keyboards in general ARE numbered (a decade, I'd guess).

Sound proof cubicles may be needed in some offices.

tried a Dragon speech thingy a while back. it sucked, its for sale. 🙂
bumpy

[burlmart]

With speech to text getting strong, the days of text forums like these and keyboards in general ARE numbered (a decade, I'd guess).

Sound proof cubicles may be needed in some offices.

[bcsdguy]

monkey44 wrote:
Well, I certainly hope 'touch screen' is NOT the wave of the future. WHo wants to reach out across the keyboard all the time and put a buncha oils and fingerprints all over the screen?

Keyboard and mouse will always be the most effective method, right there in front of you. I can't imagine typing twenty-five or thirty pages one touch at a time on a vertical screen a foot away. Let alone a hundred pages of a tech manual.

I Totally agree with you. Keyboarding, as they now call it, is still the most efficient way to enter data, in my opinion. Touch screen is fine for small devices like phones, ipods, and the like but keyboards are still going to be around.

[monkey44]

Well, I certainly hope 'touch screen' is NOT the wave of the future. WHo wants to reach out across the keyboard all the time and put a buncha oils and fingerprints all over the screen?

Keyboard and mouse will always be the most effective method, right there in front of you. I can't imagine typing twenty-five or thirty pages one touch at a time on a vertical screen a foot away. Let alone a hundred pages of a tech manual.

[Bumpyroad]

rvten wrote:

dbbls wrote:
I don't see the problem we win 8. There is a learning period just like anything new.

X2
W 8.1 even better

x3 but you can't teach some old dogs new tricks. 🙂
bumpy

[1775]

I have to wonder why the stand alone monitors are not being made with touch screen capability. All I have seen for touchscreen Win PCs are laptops or all in one computer/monitor units. If touchscreen is the way of the future as MS would like it to be, why aren't the monitor companies jumping on board?