Samsung Windows 8 PCs Will Have Start Menu After All
Oct 15, 2012 08:18 PM EDT by 
It’s a case of now you see it, now you don’t and now you do again over at Samsung. When we first reported on Samsung’s first Windows 8 devices, notably the Series 5 and Series 7 Slate, they featured S Launcher, a Samsung utility that mimicked Windows’ familiar Start Menu. Then ZDNet reported that the S Launcher wouldn’t make it into the final shipping product in the U.S. That’s only partially true.
It seems that you can’t hold a good utility down. We’ve received confirmation from Samsung reps that while S Launcher will not ship with Samsung’s Windows 8 devices, it will be available for download when the products hit store shelves. The widget lets users access settings, files and programs without having to go back to the Modern-style Start menu. You can also quickly get to your pictures and music, as well as shut down with a click.
Update: S Launcher has undergone a name change and will debut as Quick Starter.
Although third-party alternatives like Stardock’s Start8 offers similar functionality, Samsung’s S Launcher could give the company an advantage in the upcoming Windows 8 wars. Stay tuned for a full review of Samsung’s Windows 8 devices and its nifty widget.
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October 16th, 2012 at 3:28 am
Samsung will probably not be the only PC vendor to offer their own version of the Start Menu!
October 16th, 2012 at 8:00 am
I almost feel sorry for Microsoft. They boldly try to take user interface design to where no man wants to go, yet their own partners refuse to play along. How entertaining. How long will it take before someone creates a Windows 7 interface on top of Windows 8?
October 20th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
I almost feel sorry for Microsoft. Forced (supposedly) by thumb savy millennials to add a playbox touch-a-block interface so they don’t have to learn anything much different from their phone’s GUI, Microsoft is leaving it to their partners to fill the gap with a useful interface addon. How long will it take before Microsoft wakes up and just puts the Oh-So-Obvious and productive Windows 7 interface back on Windows?
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:43 am
@Pieter – the Win 7 interface is there. It is called desktop mode. Once you add the Start Menu back it is like using a Win 7 desktop. The only other fix would be to bypass metro at startup and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between 7 and 8.
October 25th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
A real FREE alternative which adds classic start menu: search for “CLASSIC SHELL” on Google!!!
January 3rd, 2013 at 3:59 am
Windows 8 the best
Linux is shit