Editors

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is now available for public download, and it offers a very different experience from what Windows users are accustomed to. However, while the operating system is optimized for touchscreen input, that doesn't mean Microsoft forgot about users who are confined to traditional keyboards and mice.

In fact, the Windows 8 Consumer Preview supports a ton of keyboard shortcuts to help make input and interaction a little easier. Some of the new shortcuts are touchscreen-related, such as pressing Windows-O to lock the orientation of the device, while others relate to new features, such as pressing Windows-C to open the Charms bar.

Just last summer, the dearth of Android tablet apps comparable to the offerings available for the iPad posed a serious problem for Android tablets makers trying to compete with Apple's market juggernaut. But more recently, lots of outstanding tablet-optimized apps for Android have emerged--enough to make the task of selecting the best ones difficult because of the abundance of choices rather than the scarcity.

Fortunately, PCWorld Contributing Editor JR Raphael was up to the challenge. He identified 28 apps that will enhance your productivity with--and enjoyment of--your Android tablet. To make the results more accessible, he divided the apps into three productivity categories: reference, news and weather, and multimedia. Then he assembled three slide shows to provide a big-screen preview of how each app looks.

At this year's CES, tablets will get cheaper, laptops will get thinner, and cameras will become more like phones. Apps will be everywhere, including in cars. And Microsoft's phone-inspired Windows 8 will edge closer to release.

We saw a lot of great gear in 2011, but we can think of some other stuff that we're itching to play with in the next 12 months.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich: Is Android fragmentation over? The next version of the OS looks to be a feature-filled mashup of phone and tablet platforms, with sliding widgets, a task launcher, and a "holographic" interface. A unified OS should help developers make device-agnostic apps that run on any Android gadget.

As the Google+ invasion continues, Facebook is feeling the heat. Although Facebook still has over 700 million users, some estimates say that Google's social network is on track to top 20 million users by this weekend. That's over 1 million new users a day since the service launched

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared to go on the offensive the day Google+ debuted, alerting the world that his company would in turn announce "something amazing."

Heading off to school? We've rounded up must-have downloads to take along. Included are security tools to keep your PC private and malware-free. You'll also need an office suite for all those papers and spreadsheets, and maybe a writing helper to organize your thoughts. You can decorate your desktop with a pick-me-up wallpaper, or give your Windows 7 system a complete sci-fi makeover. Better yet, you can donate your PC's idle time to make the world a better place. Like you, your computer has important work to do.

Avast Free Antivirus This free antivirus software provides good, all-around malware detection in a speedy, well-designed package. We liked its easy installation process, smooth interface design, and minimal impact on system performance.

Everyone has a bucket list, a succinct summation of all the things they'd love to do before they shuffle off this mortal coil. Here at PCWorld, however, we're nerds, so we put our own spin on the idea.

Instead of climbing Everest, we try for the world record on Donkey Kong. Instead of seeing Machu Picchu, we build our own PCs.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show is the closest thing to organized chaos we ever witness; but despite the pushy crowds and the sprawling noisy show floor this year, we found a few products to love (and a few to mock).

We loved the superfast Android phones this year but were less impressed by the onslaught of mediocre tablets PCs. We were not impressed when Lady Gaga showed up an hour late for a Polaroid press event, but we loved the working beer keg PC.

Our choices of Evernote, Google Voice, and Prezi push this category to do business, but it still has fun with Facebook, the MOG music service, and the shopping site TheFind.com, among others.

Netflix

Streaming video service and video-by-mail plan; starts at $9, Watch Instantly free with monthly plan A dominant and growing provider of streaming-video movies and TV shows, Netflix came on strong this year with its Watch Instantly service. Aside from the popularity of the service on desktop PCs, the Netflix Watch Instantly app has made a splashy debut during the past year on other devices, including the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. (#4 in the PCWorld 100)