Desktops

Microsoft officially launched Windows 8 today, and with it comes a choice for those who use its predecessors: do I stay, or do I go?

My Crave colleague Eric Mack touches on the subject in an opinion piece today titled "The Windows 8 question: To adopt early or not?" Eric owns a perfectly capable Windows 7 laptop and would rather wait for a Surface tablet with Windows 8 Pro to debut before considering new hardware.

Personally, I feel a slight temptation to upgrade to Windows 8. In his review of Microsoft's Surface, CNET Senior Editor Eric Franklin praises Metro -- the primary interface of Windows 8 -- saying it's "innovative, elegant, powerful, and versatile," the last set of words I would use to describe my cluttered Windows 7 desktop. Maybe a new layout would feel like a breath of fresh air. … Read more

Windows 8 is finally here, and if you've ever started with a brand-new operating system, you know that one of the first things you do is download the apps that make your life easier and maybe even a little more fun while you're at it.

The Windows Store is pretty new and is not stocked with everything you might want just yet (frankly, it's pretty anemic at this early stage), but we've hand-picked a collection of apps that will be useful for new users of Microsoft's latest OS. All are highly rated and come from … Read more

The first wave of Windows 8 PCs is already on sale, and our collection of reviews continues to grow.

We've been benchmarking and field-testing new Windows 8 systems, including all-in-one desktops, traditional clamshell laptops, hybrid PCs with detachable screens, and convertible laptops with displays that flip or twist around to form tabletlike devices. The latest additions include Lenovo's ThinkPad Twist convertible laptop and Acer's high-end Aspire S7.

Some of what we found surprised us, such as how well nontransforming laptops worked with added touch screens, or how important a decent touch pad still was for navigation. The … Read more

The launch of Windows 8 also brings an opportunity for PC makers to release third-party peripherals that complement the push for touch sensitivity. If you're planning to purchase tablet, laptop, desktop, or some combination of the three, these accessories let you get hands-on with your new computer, because let's face it -- a touch-based device is only as good as the accessories available for it.

Many of the devices in this list already have reviews, but we'll continue to add products as they emerge. Head here for a comprehensive list of every major computer launching with Windows 8 or RT.… Read more

Most of these Asus laptops, tablets, and desktops have been seen or mentioned before, but the company brought several upcoming new systems to New York for a press event this week (unfortunately timed for the same day as Apple's iPad Mini unveiling).

Some, such as the dual-screen Taichi or the Windows RT VivoTab, have already generated significant buzz. Others are not quite as high-profile, or else revamps of existing products. A quick rundown is below, along with price and release dates where available.

Asus Taichi Clearly the most interesting new Asus system, this dual-screen laptop has a panel on … Read more

Apple's tiny Mac Mini computer has become a bit more capable.

At an event today in San Jose, Calif., Apple said the revamped Mac Mini will have three USB 3 ports, dual or quad-intel Core i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge, with Intel HD Graphics 4000, and up to 16GB of RAM. It starts at $599 for a 2.5GHz computer with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

There's also a server edition for $999 that has a pair of 1TB hard drives. It ships today. … Read more

Apple unveiled a thin new iMac today, refreshing the design and specs for its popular desktop computer.

"It is absolutely beautiful," Apple's Phil Schiller said during the introduction at an event in San Jose, Calif. "It is stunning from every side."

The new computer is the thinnest desktop Apple has made to date, Schiller said: a 5 millimeter edge, 80 percent thinner than the previous generation. It is 8 pounds lighter as well.

The computer also uses a new "Apple Fusion" drive, … Read more

Wondering if you should upgrade to Windows 8? WD has teamed up with Microsoft to offer a quick solution for business users.

The company announced today that its My Passport Enterprise portable drive is now Windows To Go-certified and will be available on the same day as Windows 8, which is Friday.

In a nutshell, the drive comes with Windows 8 Enterprise environment pre-configured on it and makes it possible to provision a fully featured Windows 8 work space on a bootable USB drive. In other words, you can take this drive, plug it into any computer running Windows 7… Read more

Before taking the plunge into Windows 8, there are a few questions you should ask yourself. We've summarized some of most useful ones here, and by going down this checklist, you'll end up with a much better idea about the right path for upgrading existing hardware versus buying a new machine, and figuring out all the new styles of tablets and touch-screen hybrids hitting store shelves alongside Windows 8.

Do you want to stick with Windows at all, or would another OS work better for you? Microsoft has two new operating systems, Windows 8 and Windows RT. For … Read more