Windows 8 has been specifically designed for touchscreens and the Advent Tacto allows you to enjoy all its benefits on a laptop. It takes a bit of practise to get to grips with a laptop touchscreen, but this guide will teach you all the swipes, taps and gestures you need to make the most of the Windows 8 touch-friendly interface.
1. First steps
When Windows 8 has loaded, a lock screen will appear. To get past it using your touchscreen, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen with your finger. Now, type in your user password and press [Enter] to log in to Windows.
2. Tap to click
Navigating the new Start screen and Modern User Interface with your touchscreen is simple: use your finger to tap the screen instead of clicking with the mouse – if you need to right-click, tap and hold instead.
3. Navigation
To move backwards and forwards through apps you’ll need to look for the appropriate buttons, which usually appear at the top of the screen. Try tapping gently once in this area to reveal the button, then tap it to perform the action of returning to the previous screen.
4. Select items
To select an item in order to access more options for that item – or to select multiple items – tap, hold and slowly swipe the item a short distance in the opposite direction to the way the page scrolls (so swipe vertically if the page scrolls horizontally, and vice versa).
5. Access settings and options
Most apps – and the Start screen – hide a number of options from view. To access these, simply swipe in from the top or bottom edge of the screen. To quit an app, swipe down slowly from the top of the screen – when the app shrinks to a small window, continue dragging it down to the bottom of the screen to close it.
6. Pan
Many apps – and the Start screen itself – display more information than can be fitted on-screen, so this is hidden off-screen to the left and right. To reveal this extra information, slide your finger across the screen in the direction you wish it to scroll.
7. Zoom and rotate
To zoom into the screen, touch the screen with two or more fingers, then ‘pinch’ inwards. To zoom back out, ‘pinch’ outwards – moving your fingers away from each other.
To rotate an item on screen, place two or more fingers on the item and turn your hand in the direction you wish it to rotate (not all items can be rotated).
8. Rearrange items
To rearrange items on screen, such as tiles on the Start screen, simply press your finger on the item and drag it to its desired location before taking your finger away from the screen.
9. Cycle through open apps
To switch between apps, swipe from the left edge of the screen to move to the previously used app – you can swipe repeatedly to cycle through the available apps. Alternatively, bring up the App Switcher by swiping away from the left edge, then back towards it. From here, tap the app you wish to jump to.
10. View two apps side-by-side
You can have two apps open together on screen. Drag an app from the left edge of the window, using either of the techniques in the previous step, and then hold it over the left or right side of the screen to snap it into place. Next, tap and drag the dividing line between the two apps to make the smaller one larger, or vice versa.
11. More hotspots
Want to go back to the Start screen? Swipe in from the bottom left-hand corner instead and tap its tile. The Charms bar is also accessible via a hotspot – just swipe in from the right-hand edge of the screen to reveal it.
12. Desktop touch
There are a certain number of touchscreen functions that work in classic desktop mode too. Double-tap is the equivalent of double-click, while tapping and holding your finger on screen is like clicking with the right mouse button. You can also recalibrate the touchscreen settings from here. Press [Windows] + [X] and select Control Panel from the pop-up menu. Select Hardware and Sound followed by Tablet PC Settings, then tap Calibrate to improve calibration.
