Discussion on:

Quick Tip: Customize live tiles in the Windows 8 Start Screen

I don't use the Start Screen to actually start applications - I'm more comfortable on the Desktop. However, I sometimes like to keep the Start Screen open and watch the live tiles update - a sort of poor man's ticker. Do you see some merit in the live tiles part of the Windows 8 interface?

I like a few gadgets on my desktop, so hopefully I'll be able to find some equivalent Metro apps. Anything like CPU monitors(by core with temps), network monitors, local weather radar(world wide), local sunset/rise and phases of the moon appearing in the store yet?

I didn't have any use for the sidebar apps and gadgets in Vista or W7, and so far I don't see much use for live tiles either. My desktop is usually hidden behind all the tiled application windows; screen real estate is too valuable to me to allocate any to trivial applets.

There may be something I'll have a use for eventually, but I said that about Vista gadgets too. I never found anything useful there or in W7.

At work, I'd generally agree. At home it's a different matter. Having live weather radar for example is great. Just move the cursor to the bottom left and glance at the map sized to fill abut 1/6 of my screen. Just means one less Chrome window to have open and it's faster than switching to Chrome then the tab.

If you really spend all the time you're in front of a computer working, I feel sorry for you!

but I do spend all of it with the open windows maximized or tiled to fill the screen.

If I'm watching the radar, I keep it open in a browser tab where it's big enough for me to see what's near me. It's only an Alt-Tab away.

To each his own.

Most of developing nations have slow internet connection and they pay by amount of usage.. If the live tiles keep on updating and when they update from internet, the consumer will incur increasing internet bills. I hope microsoft has thought of a way to 'stop' updates for all tiles through one click..

I couldn't find a single-click method to size all tiles at once so they were smaller squares instead of larger rectangles, so I doubt there's a single-click update disabler.

I want to use stardock to improve your pc. its look great, I individually use stardock applications.

You say, "tiles are updating for news, the stock market, people, local weather, and Bing." That's not what I use my computer for - I use it for *work.* I know Microsoft considers 'work' an outdated concept - or at least something to be squeezed in between your Facebook and Twitter updates. I don't need/want the constant drain on resources and bandwidth.

One question I have: the menu supposedly supports 'uninstall,' yes? Can you uninstall all the bloated junk that comes with the original Start screen? All the apps/programs you'll never use? Can you get your Start screen down to perhaps *ONLY* five tiles of things you truly use? Or will it be like my Droid .. cr**, memory, and resources for things I do NOT want and will never use .. and can never uninstall.

And I totally agree with planetcapri on the issue of developing countries and their limited Internet resources. And that also applies to large areas of the United States.

Right click the tile and choose Uninstall.
You can also choose to just unpin from the start screen.
This isn't like Verizon crapware that you can't remove on an Android (unless you root it).

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking for the full/complete uninstall .. gone. Never to return. Unpinning does work from a visual perspective, but it only removes it from view. It's like sweeping the dirt under the rug .. you can't see it anymore, but it's still there taking up space and resources!

Gee, did I mention my Droid was on Verizon??

Yes you can uninstall the apps completely.
Guess who also has a Droid on Verizon?

"Guess who also has a Droid on Verizon?"

lol .. and I extend my sympathies.

I'll be waiting for the hacks, too, but in the meantime, I'm happy with Win 7. And wait for Win 9.

Is to be able to create my own start menu theme and choose my own colors for tiles.

I am sure it won't be long before hacks and progs etc come along that get rid of all the crap. Tried Win 8 on vmware and the only useful thing is the new Task Manager. The rest is a poor attempt at making an apple garden without apple's uber control over hardware etc. I will be waiting for Win 9 (after this turkey bombs in the business world). Win 7/Android/Linux for me

Have been using Win 8 for months and still hate it, totally useless for the 99% of us without touch screens so not sure what MS is smoking...

I wish they add "shut down" somewhere more recognizable. it took me about 1 immediate to find it
and my partner is still looking for it since yesterday.

before an app comes along to ditch the tiles and get back a start menu. Came across this, so might be giving it a try as it also acts in such a way that after log in, it bypasses the tiles and takes you straight to the desktop, ready to work!:

http://www.petri.co.il/add-a-windows-8-start-menu.htm.

I have no need whatsoever, at home or work for live feeds (prefer a few slect rss text feeds to news and tech), and in the work place do I really want all those PC's consuming bandwidth for no reason at all? And on a tablet with maybe 6 hours battery life? get real.

Put the desktop tile in the top left corner of the start screen and the enter key will drop you into the desktop in a second.

Now, is there an equivalent to the old 'Startup' menu group? If so, could that tile be dropped into it so as to start the desktop automatically?

but maybe there's a registry hack that could do it. hmmm...