Splashtop Drops Windows 8 Metro Testbed Onto Android

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Splashtop Drops Windows 8 Metro Testbed Onto Android

Posted by samzenpus on Monday June 11, 2012 @12:53AM from the check-it-out dept.

MojoKid writes "Want to try out the Windows 8 Metro interface on your Android tablet? Splashtop apparently has a solution. The company previously released a Windows 8 Metro testbed for the iPad back in April, and now it has one for Android devices, which is available in the Google Play Store. You'll need a PC with the Windows 8 Release Preview installed, but once you have that taken care of, you'll be able to poke around Microsoft's new touch interface on any Android tablet."

36 comments

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Why by symbolset · 2012-06-11 00:57 · Score: 3, Insightful

Why would you even want to do that?

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1. Re:Why by ChunderDownunder · 2012-06-11 01:16 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Developing touchscreen applications for Windows without purchazing an additional device?
  Sounds like a remote desktop solution, optimized for touch. Could be handy for accessing a pc from the couch or meeting room.
2. Re:Why by Daniel_is_Legnd · 2012-06-11 01:20 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Windows 8 was made with touch screens in mind, and most people don't have a touch-enabled PC. Lots of people do have android tablets, however, so this is a way to see the touch screen features of Windows 8.
3. Re:Why by alexhs · 2012-06-11 01:41 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Developing touchscreen applications for Windows
  Why would you even want to do that?
  
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4. Re:Why by ChunderDownunder · 2012-06-11 02:10 · Score: 1
  
  Me personally? Nah.
  But for some people it pays the bills. Apps are all the rage.
5. Re:Why by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 02:16 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  So I can explore the Metro interface myself using touch, and make an informed decision regarding the product before even considering a x86 tablet.
  It's a shame to see your really dumb comment get moderated 4, Insightful. It's just another sign of intelligence fleeing slashdot.
6. Re:Why by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 02:47 · Score: 1
  
  I've been using an Asus Transformer Pad for a few weeks now. The touch really does add a lot of nuance and ease to the system. The option to undock and lose a few ounces on the weight of the device is a really big selling feature. Having a more traditional OS on the platform with great touch support would make for a unique user experience that I, as a developer, would like to participate in.
7. Re:Why by Haxagon · 2012-06-11 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  To make money, like everyone else who develops (for a living).
8. Re:Why by slashmydots · 2012-06-11 05:20 · Score: 2
  
  Because MS is buying into the industry hype about tablets being the future and desktops being dead. You know, just like with netbooks a couple years ago. What happened with those, by the way? Oh yeah, I remember! People realized they suck and no optical drive is crap and the speeds were pathetic and now there's 10 at the local pawn shop worth 1/3 retail.
  Since a tablet is a netbook with no keyboard, I think it's a waste of time trying to stomp on Android and iOS market share with Windows 8 when tablets will be dead in 1-2 years just like netbooks.
  Well, at least now they can have metro design flaw complaints coming in from the Win8 Beta and the tablet side too.
9. Re:Why by weszz · 2012-06-11 05:37 · Score: 1
  
  I've been using the transformer prime with dock and just love it... some things are easier with touch than finding where the mouse is at that point. Now whenever i am on a regular laptop, I find myself trying to touch the screen now and then and for a second being surprised it didn't work...
10. Re:Why by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 11:22 · Score: 0
  
  I like how you're watching the future unfold before your very eyes and based on one markets reaction (netbooks) you are determined to crap all over another one. Tablets are awesome and have their uses. Are we going to be eliminating desktops and laptops with them anytime soon? No. Are they going to continue to innovate in that direction? You bet. Why? Because it's a great idea. It's such a great idea that we've wanted them since Star Trek. This isn't a fad or a hyped trend. We want tablets, period.
Short answer by O('_')O_Bush · 2012-06-11 01:00 · Score: 5, Funny

"Want to try out the Windows 8 Metro interface on your Android tablet?"

Nope. Bye...

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1. Re:Short answer by slashmydots · 2012-06-11 05:21 · Score: 1
  
  But but but but but the people in the Windows 8 beta just loooooved the Metro interface. Oh wait, no, the other thing...they all hated it and nobody had anything positive to say about it in any review anywhere ever.
BUY NOW!!! by CubicleView · 2012-06-11 01:10 · Score: 4, Funny

FTA

The app usually costs a whopping $49.99, but it’s currently on sale for $24.99, so get it while it’s hot.
or you know, don't.
1. Re:BUY NOW!!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 01:15 · Score: 0
  
  Once again another slashvertisement, why don't just state that this is another shameless slashvertisement, Sad to the see slashdot use cheap marketing tactic again...
2. Re:BUY NOW!!! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 01:23 · Score: 0
  
  Those specials are always funny to read.
  "The usual price is one million billion dollars, but it's currently on sale for only $9.99! - Dr.Evil"
And don't take away Aero, you bastards! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2012-06-11 01:13 · Score: 2

A couple of days ago, someone pointed out shameful crap in the Google+ death thread about Bing and stuff, which weren't the result of companies saying, "I can do it better", but rather them saying, "I can do it, too."
Ooh, look, Windows 8. Microsoft can do a desktop qua smartphone, too?

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(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
1. Re:And don't take away Aero, you bastards! by Darkness404 · 2012-06-11 01:45 · Score: 2
  
  I agree with your title, it seems like every OS has decided its going to try change for the sake of change for no good reason. There was nothing fundamentally broken in Windows 7 UI wise. Similarly, Gnome 2.X was great, 3.X sucks. I don't understand the obsession in trying to fix non-broken things. Metro might be great for a smartphone but sucks for a Desktop when you have something a bit more precision controlled than your fat fingers (mouse and keyboard). Why not work behind the scenes and make Windows more stable, give it a better architecture, make it more secure, but less annoying. Make it more customizable, etc.
  
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2. Re:And don't take away Aero, you bastards! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 02:03 · Score: 0
  
  Yep. Love it or hate it, win7 did alright. Now we have win8, and it's a gigantic piece of shit. You'd think they'd have better common sense than this.
Splashtop connects home too often by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 01:13 · Score: 4, Informative

This application dials home way too much. If you don't have an outgoing firewall on your devices you will fail to realize that it is phoning the mothership every time you connect to your desktop. Enough of the cloud connection for everything!
1. Re:Splashtop connects home too often by dmacleod808 · 2012-06-11 01:21 · Score: 1
  
  IIRC correctly, TeamViewer dials home too, but it is so much more convenient than setting up RDP on every machine I support, and has great connection management.
  
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2. Re:Splashtop connects home too often by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 02:22 · Score: 0
  
  Of course it is. That's how it gets you to your desktop when connected remotely. Otherwise your home IP would by a mystery to your phone.
so its VNC by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 01:37 · Score: 0

nice slashvertisment for basically a VNC/RDP client, except its not free in any sense of the word and phones home on every connection
way too much spyware/adware on Android and iOS to even contemplate installing this.
Trolls & Metro by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 02:21 · Score: 1

Metro is an intuitive touch interface, granted I hate it on the desktop I wish Microsoft hadn't melded the two together so tightly...people on Slashdot getting modded up for trolling and saying things insightful ("not interested," "Windows 8 is a piece of shit," etc.) is just sad, do you have nothing better to say? Because of the modding up of troll, the circle jerk of trolls is perpetuated. Sadness.
1. Re:Trolls & Metro by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 10:00 · Score: 0
  
  Slashdot is full of anti-MS shills. In fact, the entire site is pretty much an anti-MS shill site.
  If you are expecting intelligent discussions and "news for nerds, stuff that matters" then I suggest you find a better site than this. This site is fanboy central and it has been that way since the 90s.
Splashtop Drops Windows 8 Metro Testbed Onto Andro by rullywowr · 2012-06-11 02:33 · Score: 2

Splashtop Drops Windows 8 Metro Testbed Advertisement Onto Slashdot
There, FFFY.
Re:Amazing discovery by schroedingers_hat · 2012-06-11 02:36 · Score: 1

No, you post your dupes on the _front_ page.
$50 for a frickin' RDP client?? by daboochmeister · 2012-06-11 03:41 · Score: 1

Huh? Or am i misunderstanding?

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1. Re:$50 for a frickin' RDP client?? by Belial6 · 2012-06-11 06:50 · Score: 1
  
  Splashtop is more than just an RDP client. It also handles establishing connection through NAT, has better throughput than VNC, while having Mac and Windows hosts.
  
  It is the easiest way I have seen to connect to a machine behind NAT without ongoing payments.
Want to try out the Windows 8 Metro interface by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 04:05 · Score: 0

on your Android?
VERY NO.
Metro on Android? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-06-11 07:45 · Score: 0

Metroid?
Too bad no Samus.