Windows 8 101: Search, share, connect with the Charms

Your Charms will allow you to do the most common things like searching anything from your PC, your apps, and the web; sharing content from your apps; printing; and changing your settings.  Whether you are inside a Windows 8 app, the desktop, or Start Screen, the Charms is always accessible from the right edge of your screen.  You can access the charms by using your mouse for non-touch device or swiping your finger from the right side of your screen.  Here’s how

Touch

Swipe your finger from the left side of your screen

Mouse

Point your mouse to the upper-right corner of the screen, move down, and then click the charm you want.

Search Charm

Looking for anything in particular? A document, a picture, music file that is stored something in your PC, or maybe you just want to search the web for a certain topic or a picture.  The search charm will allow you to search your PC’s hard drive on your apps, settings, and document.  This charm will also give you the capability to search across your apps.  For example I want to search the word “Microsoft MVP” in the web I’ll just simply click on the Internet Explorer, IE will launch automatically, redirect me to my default search engine (Bing) and will automatically give me the search results.  In Windows 8.1 the search was even made better, in just 1 click or tap it will give me all the results from my local PC, apps and the web.

Share Charm

Sharing content like photos and links has never been this easy.  By using the share charm I can just view a photo in my Photo app get my share charm click on Mail and Windows will automatically attach that photo in my mail app ready for sending.  I’ll just add a message in the body of the mail and recipient, click / tap send and I’m all done! Want to share a link from from the web? When in a webpage and you just want to share it in your Facebook or Twitter account just get your share charm click on People app (provided that you connected your Facebook or Twitter account) and Windows will automatically attach the link and even a preview / thumbnail of the website.

Start Charm

The Start charm will bring you back to the Start screen. Clicking or tapping it again will bring you back to the previous application that you are working with.

 

 

Devices Charm

The Devices charm will give you options such as printing content directly from your app, sync information to your mobile phone via Bluetooth or even projecting your PC into a second screen.  Suppose I have a PDF document that I have opened using the built in PDF reader of Windows 8 and I want to print it, I’ll just get the devices charm and it will show me my installed printers, I’ll just select the printer, click print and I’m done.

Settings Charm

The Settings charm will give you the capability to further personalize your Windows 8 experience.  For a first time Windows 8 user clicking on the settings charm will show you one of the most important thing on every OS, the Shutdown button, here you can also connect to your wireless network, set your screen brightness, control your speaker volume and more!

Windows 8.1 is here!

Download the preview at www.preview.windows.com