Windows 8 seems destined to be appreciated the most on computers with touch screens. It's not that you can't have a perfectly decent Windows 8 experience on a standard PC, but you're missing out on a good deal of the design it was intended for.
Toshiba Satellite U845W-S430
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Toshiba Satellite U845W, an ultra-wide-screen ultrabook I first reviewed several months ago, boasted a funky 21:9 aspect ratio, 1,792x768-pixel display crammed into a long, slim laptop. The U845W-S430 is that very same laptop, for the most part, with Windows 8 added.
In case you're curious about the U845W, read the original full review. My feelings on it still largely stand: the wide screen is intriguing but not necessary for movie-watching (in fact, many 16:9 movies will end up with "reverse letterboxing" on the sides as opposed to the top/bottom in order to fit the screen). The speakers are loud. The keyboard is uncomfortable but oddly stretched. The whole experiment still doesn't cost much more than a "normal" laptop, at roughly $1,085, although it's a little more expensive than before (although another Windows 8 U845W for $1,000 with a seemingly identical configuration is listed on Toshiba's Web site, and retail prices are often lower).
But, here's the catch: there are many new experimental laptops out now with funky designs, including touch screens and swiveling displays. The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 costs nearly the same. Yes, it's a completely different type of a machine, but I think it's a far more sensible one.
This Toshiba laptop isn't an ideal Windows 8 laptop, nor is it an ideal laptop. It's really, even more than before, simply lost in the middle.