November 12, 2012
As I was studying my Surface RT tablet this past week I couldn’t have learned it all without using the following book: Windows 8 Secrets by Paul Thurrott. So I feel I need to give some credit where credit is due.
Normally I’d get one of the Missing Manuals book by David Pogue, but the Windows 8 book in that series is not coming out till December 22, and I couldn’t wait. And, this Windows 8 Secrets book is really good — I may be buying from this series from now on.
Why do I like it so much? The main reason is that in writing the book, Paul made a decision I agree with: don’t cover any Windows 7 material that we probably all know anyway—instead just show the new stuff that is coming with Windows 8. Most authors update their previous OS books and include all the previous features, and so it’s often hard to find the real juice of the new product. I am so glad Paul opted for just highlighting the differences; it works brilliantly. It also makes the book a lot shorter. And Paul has been a respected Windows insider/writer/blogger for a long time—the quality of the material seems very high (I don’t know Paul personally—this review is totally unbiased).
By the way, Paul also does a fairly good job of highlighting how given features vary depending on whether you are using the touchscreen or a keyboard/mouse, and that’s important in Windows 8.
Finally, let me say this. As I’ve mentioned earlier, unlike the iPad, these Windows 8 tablets have a lot of power under the covers that will not be obvious unless you learn it somehow—I think you do need a book (or a knowledgeable buddy). This book is probably your best bet right now.
Michael
