The lack of being able to customize Windows 8 Start Screen is one of my critiques of the OS. I’m the kind of person that likes to make the OS feel like it’s "mine". Custom skins, icons, etc..

A developer on XDA Forums has developed a small program that allows you to use your own images (found online or self made) for tiles. It has a lot of potential, and as usual is a work in progress (large tiles not supported at this version, but is coming in the future).

More info and download: [APP] OblyTile – Tile Creator for all programs. – xda-developers

Sample from CrimsonKnight13 in the forums (also a friend on [H]ardForum)

Now, if someone can help with the background on that thing. Those “tattoo’s” are sad. I want a real picture on that. Heck, animated background would be cool, too. I like my eye candy!

The wait for the Windows Phone 8 devices is finally nearing it’s end. In the next couple weeks, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile will have their new Windows Phone 8 devices in the hands of their users. Prices aren’t that bad, either.

In the U.S., the phones will be available on Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T. (There was no mention of Sprint — sorry Sprint users.)

In the U.S., Verizon will be getting the HTC 8X and the Lumia 822 (the Lumia 820 equivalent, not the 920 equivalent) as of Thanksgiving. The 8X will cost $199 for a 16 GB model for those on contract. The Lumia 822 will be $49 $99 on contract.

Verizon also has an exclusive on the ATIV Odyssey (a variant of the ATIV S). It is due out in December 2012.

T-Mobile will have the Lumia 810 (the 820 equivalent) for $99 on contract, and the HTC 8X for $149 on contract by November 14.

Not happy with just using the newly released Surface, the fine folks at iFixIt decided to tear one apart to show you what is inside the tablet. To be honest, I was really expecting a lot more. It is very amazing how tiny things have gotten over the years. The amount of power in such a small space is mind boggling. I snagged a quick picture to give you an idea, but hit the site for the full teardown and some other shots.

Google has posted a way to replace Bing as the default search engine as well as adding Chrome to Windows 8. Little fun video, with some comedy. They also have a new website to help with it. So, if you’re not a Bing type of person (give it a try at least!) and want to go back to the Google goodness (have to admit, Chrome is damn awesome!), check out the video and go to http://www.getyourgoogleback.com.

Consumer confusion? Really? I am not sure if consumers walk into a store uninformed to drop $600 on a tablet without doing any research. I would like to think that most consumers aren’t blindly buying these things. As far as retailers and salespeople not knowing the difference? That’s up to the store to hire knowledgeable people. I am sure I could find a couple that would tell me that the iPad could run OSX applications, too. Heck, I saw someone at Best Buy trying to sell a Sony Zune to a customer. I’m sure if the retailer, consumer or sales person spent five minutes to educate themselves on the tablets, they would be in a much better position.

Retailers calling Windows RT “Windows 8 RT”? Not confusion. They are trying to leverage the Windows 8 hype.

As far as the comments that Windows RT will fail? Not so sure. There is a good price difference between the ARM and i5 processor powered tablets, and battery life is a bit better, although not stellar. Room to improve for sure. But, it’s not a reason for it to be doomed to failure.

I’ve spent a lot of time pointing out that ARM-based tablets won’t have a cost advantage or a battery life advantage. This is why I’ve argued that Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet or any other Windows RT tablet is doomed to fail. Windows RT tablets have all the limitations and none of the commonly assumed advantages of ARM-based systems such as battery life and low cost. But most shoppers won’t know the difference, especially if the Microsoft Store and other online retailers hide the limitations of Windows RT.

The Associated Press is calling Windows 8 Steve Ballmers Make-or-break moment. Is Microsoft’s CEO really that close to getting the ax to where the success or failure of this OS can put his job on the line? Windows 8 is a great OS, but convincing the masses and enterprises that it’s a great OS is going to be the real test.

Ballmer’s margin for error is slim after being consistently outpaced by Apple and Google in his nearly 13 years as CEO. During his tenure, Microsoft’s stock has lost nearly half its value, wiping out more than $200 billion in shareholder wealth.

Microsoft is offering the Media Center Pack free for a limited time for Windows 8 Professional users. All you need is an email address. It  must be activated by January 31st, 2013. Grab it while it lasts!

If your PC is running Windows 8 Pro and you’d like to get Windows 8 Media Center Pack so you can watch and record live TV with Windows Media Center, you can take advantage of the following special offer:

For those that bought a recent Windows 7 powered tablet running on Intel hardware thinking you’d be able to upgrade to Windows 8, you might not be able to. There are some tablets (some as recent as 4 months old) that cannot run Windows 8. I am glad I didn’t jump on a tablet early just to have a Windows 8 tablet earlier than when the new models were released.

The problems affect systems that use the current version of Intel’s Atom line, known as Cedar Trail. Intel is rolling out a new version of Atom, called Clover Trail, that is specifically designed for Windows 8 hardware, but that’s too late for many users who previously bought systems on the belief they could upgrade later

Todays big news has been the release of the pricing and specifications of the Windows Surface RT tablets. The prices are a bit more than what people were speculating, but the specifications are about right for the price. However, I’m not sure if the pricing will allow Microsoft to get a good foothold in the tablet market or if this is just to release “reference” hardware to the masses to show what the platform can do and as a good point of reference for OEM’s.

As much as I’d really like to grab one, I can’t justify the cost knowing that the Pro models are just around the corner and will allow me to run legacy Windows applications.

64GB with Black Touch Cover – $699

32GB with Black Touch Cover – $599

32GB Surface (no cover) – $499

So how does that compare with the iPad?

Well the iPad with Wi-Fi, 16GB and of course no cover costs $499. In order to get 32GB worth of storage on an iPad the cost goes up to $599. The 64GB iPad with Wi-Fi costs $699.

The ad is definitely targeted towards the Apple user hipster. I don’t care much for it myself, but I’m more of a technical “Show me the specs and what it can do for me” kind of consumer. So, is this ad relevant for you or does it completely miss the mark? I’d like to hear from Apple users (even those that hate Microsoft) and MS users. Does this make you want Windows 8 more or is it just another commercial in the mix?