Battery, apps, display, picture password: tips for the latest Windows 8 tablets

Microsoft's new Surface 2 tablet PC (Photo: Microsoft GmbH)

There are quite a few tablets with Windows 8: The Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 10, the Elitepad from HP, Asus Vivotab or the Acer Iconia prove that there is a business market for mobile touch PCs. Thanks to the optional keyboard and powerful processor, Windows tablets usually stand out clearly from the competition. Whether it's increasing battery life, setting up picture passwords, designing the start screen or using two Windows apps at the same time - here are some helpful tips for Windows 8 tablets.

Microsoft has not yet achieved the hoped-for breakthrough with its in-house Windows tablets in the Surface series. But now the software giant is following suit and introduces improved Windows 8 tablets with the Surface 2. Microsoft's belief in the success of Windows tablets seems unbroken, which may be due to the partial success of these Windows tablets from other manufacturers:

• The ThinkPad series has now been followed by the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 10.
• The HP Elitepad 900 is a business tablet with Windows 8 Pro.
• The Asus VivoTab Smart ME400C uses a processor from the Intel Atom series.
• Like all the tablets mentioned, the Acer Iconia W3 is available with a full operating system and a keyboard that can be connected via Bluetooth.

These Windows 8 tablets try to exploit one advantage: the cross-device use of the new MS operating system with tile look. They are usually offered in different variants, which is why online buyers should do their research carefully. Tip: The tablet versions in smaller online stores such as comtech.de & Co. take a look!

For all Windows 8 tablet users, here are helpful tips for important settings and functions:

Windows tablet tip "Save energy"

These tricks will help your tablet battery last longer:

1. activate flight mode:

Whether Surface, Elitepad or Vivotab: To ensure that the tablet battery lasts as long as possible, as many functions as possible should be switched off.

This is particularly easy with Windows 8: Bluetooth, WLAN, infrared and even NFC can be deactivated in no time at all.

This is because Windows 8 has an "airplane mode", as you would expect from a smartphone.

Open the Charm bar by swiping from the right edge of the screen to the center and tap on "Settings" and the Wi-Fi symbol. Activate flight mode here.

2. reduce the screen brightness:

The biggest power consumer on tablets is the screen. Therefore, shorten the time until Windows dims the monitor and switches it off. You can also do this via the charms bar: Here, type in "Power options" as a search term, tap "Settings" and "Power options". Here you will find the settings "Select time to switch off the screen".

3. energy-saving mode instead of switching off:

It is better to put Windows 8 tablets and notebooks into energy-saving mode instead of switching them off. This is because the tablets require very little power in energy-saving mode (even an energy-hungry processor goes to sleep) and can be restarted extremely quickly.

Windows also switches the tablet off automatically if it remains in energy-saving mode for a very long time.

Windows tablet tip "Log in with picture password"

In Windows 8, you can log in with picture passwords, gestures performed on photos. This function is clearly useful primarily for devices with a touch screen without a keyboard, as logging in this way is much quicker.

The idea behind it: You select a fancy picture to appear when you log on to Windows. Then you define a gesture that represents the actual password and is almost impossible to guess. There is no need to enter the password using the keyboard.

When you log in in future, Windows 8 will check whether the gestures performed are similar to the actions stored.

And this is how it works:

• On the home screen, tap on your profile picture and
• then click on "Change profile picture".
• Continue with "User" and "Create image code".
• Now enter your login password and tap on "OK".
• Continue with "Select picture". Once you have selected a picture, draw three movements on the tablet with your finger.
• After you have drawn the gesture again for security reasons, the screen password is active after "Finish".

Windows tablet tip "Place apps on the start screen"

On the Windows 8 lock and log-in screen, a handful of included apps display information such as the battery charge, the Wi-Fi connection or the number of new emails.

Whether with the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 10 or Acer Iconia - this is how it works:

• Open the "Settings" again via the Charms bar.
• Via "Customize" and
• "Lock screen apps", you can add further selected apps using the "+" symbol.

Windows tablet tip "Using two apps simultaneously on the tablet display"

Surfing the web and chatting at the same time? No problem. Apps can be placed on two thirds or one third of the screen width.

Unfortunately, only one app can be docked at a time. And it only works with tablets with a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768 pixels.

And this is how it works:

• Perform a right-left swipe gesture on the left edge of the screen to display the list of open apps.
• Then drag an app from the list to the center of the screen until it snaps into place.

Windows tablet tip "Prevent screen rotation"

Those who like to read a lot on their Win 8 tablet usually use the landscape format for surfing, and the portrait format for books.

By default, the screen content rotates in the same way as the tablet. This is annoying if you lie down on the side while reading, for example.

This can be prevented by locking the screen rotation - here's how:

• To do this, open the charms bar by swiping from the right-hand edge of the screen to the center and
• tap on "Settings" and
• then click on "Screen".
• To lock or unlock, tap the screen icon.

Photo rights: Microsoft GmbH (article image at the top), Windows Tweaks (screenshots in the body text).