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Sure, there's been some exploring and learning to do, as I haven't read any Windows 8 preview 'manual' that Microsoft might or might not have made available, leading me to both swipe various parts of the screen to see what happens, while trying the same actions with the mouse and the keyboard.
I did read in an article that Microsoft is enabling a stack of new keyboard shortcuts using the dedicated 'Windows' key on the keyboard, and I've been trying a few out at random to see what they do.
Thus far, my initial reaction is that the OS is a very nice blend of touch-screen and traditional OS, fixing many of the 'issues' that 'plagued' the tablet versions of Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Of course, the new OS isn't yet complete, with Microsoft undoubtedly pouring through all the data and feedback the company would have already received over the past two weeks, which bodes well for a dramatically improved Windows 8 experience once the final 'gold master' code goes live.
Indeed, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is already a big improvement over last year's Windows 8 Developer Preview, and while there are issues over the wasting of space that Metro apps represent compared to traditional desktop apps, a beta period is a great time to find all of this out direct from consumers.
It has also been interesting to see that the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10 doesn't seem to be able to run Adobe Flash, even though the traditional desktop version of IE10 runs Adobe Flash just fine.
I like the new on-screen keyboard and the fact it still works perfectly well with a stylus, right down to offering the excellent handwriting recognition that has been a staple of Windows tablets for some time.
Maybe it's the now a little older Lenovo tablet that I'm using, but swipes from the sides of the screen to bring up the Charms or the task switching could be smoother and more consistent.
That said, I'm about to load Windows 8 onto Samsung's excellent Series 7 Slate to see how it performs there.
