How to, uh, turn Windows 8 off

With the Start button disappeared, shutting down Windows 8 can be a challenge. Here's how to coax the OS into turning itself off.

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Shutting off Windows used to be a simple matter of clicking the Start button and choosing the "Shut down" option. But the Windows 8 beta has no Start button. So how do you shut it down?
Microsoft has concocted a series of manuevers and keyboard shortcuts to shut down the new OS. Though slower and clumsier than going through the Start button, the new steps at least let you fully turn Windows 8 off.

HP Envy 14 Spectre review

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is the latest and best-named Ultrabook to hit the shelves, and with the combined draw of HP's premium Envy range, and Dr Dre's urban cool Beats brand, it's going to be very hard to ignore.

We're well into the Ultrabook race by now and we've already been impressed by the Asus Zenbook UX31, Acer Aspire S3 and most recently by the Dell XPS 13, perhaps the toughest rival that the HP Envy 14 Spectre faces in the battle for our hard-earned pennies.
And HP's newest baby is taking an interesting approach to the competition by being less concerned with a size zero frame. The HP Envy 14 Spectre is 20mm thin, and weighs 1.8kg - hefty for an Ultrabook.
But the slight bulk enables it to throw around some extra connectivity and features that other Ultrabooks, perhaps save the Toshiba Satellite Z830, can't match.

Samsung Series 9 skinny laptop on sale Saturday

Samsung's Series 9 laptop will debut in the UK on Saturday, available to buy from floggers of fancy furniture, John Lewis.
The company confirmed to us that the super-skinny laptop would be on sale in our green and pleasant land on 25 February, with other retailers including Amazon and DSG retail (which more than likely means PC World, Currys and Dixons) selling the Series 9 later this year.
I've already had my paws all over the Series 9, which sports an alarmingly thin and light chassis, and a MacBook Air-style wedge design if you peek at it from the side.