IE10 in Windows 8: Metro style vs. desktop style For better or worse, IE10 is one of those Windows 8 apps with a split personality--part Metro and part desktop. Microsoft dubs it a "Metro style enabled desktop browser," which means that technically it's a single app that offers two different "experiences."
That sounds cool in theory. But in reality, bouncing back and forth between the Metro browser and the desktop browser can be clumsy and jarring. Both flavors do share the same history list, but otherwise there's a lack of consistency and standardization between the two.
I like the design of the Metro version. It's clean, quick, and simple. No fiddling with menus, toolbars, or other items. The browser opens to display a blank screen or your previous page with no distractions. Right-clicking in the browser window then reveals the navigation bar at the bottom with the address field, backward and forward buttons, and other options.
Clicking in the address bar displays thumbnails of frequently used sites and pinned sites, letting you easily return to any previous site. If the site you need isn't listed, you can start typing the first few characters in the address field. IE10 will search its database of popular sites to try to find the right one. Any site you visit then becomes part of the browser's history. The address field also serves as a search field, so you can enter any term to search for it on the Web.
A bar at the top allows you to open a new page in another tab and move from one open page to another. Other options let you close individual tabs or all open tabs and launch a new page in an InPrivate tab. You can also pin any site to the Metro Start screen, search for content on the page, and open the page in the desktop version of IE.
But in keeping with the new Metro approach, printing or e-mailing a Web page is no longer done within the browser but rather through the Charms bar.
You can display the Charms bar by moving your mouse to the upper right or upper left hot corners of the screen. You can then click on individual charms. The functions within the Charms bar change depending on the current app. With IE open, the Search charm lets you search the Web, the Devices charm lets you print, and the Sharing charm lets you share a page via e-mail.
The Charms bar does create a consistent approach among all Metro apps. And it's not too bad once you get used to it. But I think it will confuse people accustomed to clicking File, Print and File, Send by e-mail to perform such basic tasks.
That sounds cool in theory. But in reality, bouncing back and forth between the Metro browser and the desktop browser can be clumsy and jarring. Both flavors do share the same history list, but otherwise there's a lack of consistency and standardization between the two.
I like the design of the Metro version. It's clean, quick, and simple. No fiddling with menus, toolbars, or other items. The browser opens to display a blank screen or your previous page with no distractions. Right-clicking in the browser window then reveals the navigation bar at the bottom with the address field, backward and forward buttons, and other options.
Clicking in the address bar displays thumbnails of frequently used sites and pinned sites, letting you easily return to any previous site. If the site you need isn't listed, you can start typing the first few characters in the address field. IE10 will search its database of popular sites to try to find the right one. Any site you visit then becomes part of the browser's history. The address field also serves as a search field, so you can enter any term to search for it on the Web.
A bar at the top allows you to open a new page in another tab and move from one open page to another. Other options let you close individual tabs or all open tabs and launch a new page in an InPrivate tab. You can also pin any site to the Metro Start screen, search for content on the page, and open the page in the desktop version of IE.
But in keeping with the new Metro approach, printing or e-mailing a Web page is no longer done within the browser but rather through the Charms bar.
You can display the Charms bar by moving your mouse to the upper right or upper left hot corners of the screen. You can then click on individual charms. The functions within the Charms bar change depending on the current app. With IE open, the Search charm lets you search the Web, the Devices charm lets you print, and the Sharing charm lets you share a page via e-mail.
The Charms bar does create a consistent approach among all Metro apps. And it's not too bad once you get used to it. But I think it will confuse people accustomed to clicking File, Print and File, Send by e-mail to perform such basic tasks.
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