[Verizon Droid Charge] JihadSquad:
I'm on the real version via dreamspark premium. The last version I used was consumer preview. This is pretty similar except that the windows have lost all their aero transparency (in consumer preview they still had some), and their borders look like really big tiles from the Metro interface and WP7.The built in metro apps are more functional, and there are a lot of trackpad gestures for laptop users. Also there are some more customization options (not much though) for the start screen. Overall I like it better than Windows 7 simply because some of the quirks and bugs from w7 have been worked out. The redesign of the task manager makes it show much more information such as the current cpu speed when you look at its graph. It also has native support for light sensors and GPS, something that helps me because my laptop has a GPS and a light sensor on it and I don't have to use proprietary lenovo software anymore. Also hyper-v is available and it is much faster than the old windows virtual pc. However there is a bug where it locks your cpu at max frequency if you have it installed (not present in server 2012 so I'm sure there will be a fix).

My biggest quirks right now are drivers. The current nvidia drivers lag out anything I am doing while in an intensive application. For example when I am playing a game the youtube video on my 2nd screen will start to lag out. Same with voice chatting if I am doing them simultaneously. This applies not only to full out video games but stuff like pinball and solitaire from the metro store (this happened in consumer preview). When you have 2+ screens the start menu missing does not really make a difference because you can set the Metro interface to appear on one specific monitor, where you wouldn't mind whatever is on there temporarily being covered up. You can still pin any program, app, shortcut, or folder to the start screen, and you can just start typing to use that old search feature (although it is not obvious). Also, you can quickly switch through apps on a laptop using the gestures I mentioned before.

The metro apps are not very useful (at least the built in ones). For example, when using messenger with Facebook, the messages are very delayed compared to just using the website. Metro IE (and Chrome) only let you use 1 window, and tabs on IE are a nightmare. Chrome looks pretty much the same otherwise on Metro. Weather and maps still default to the useless Bing services as expected. News, Camera, and Music are actually decent. You can adjust music (and iHeartRadio) playback by clicking on the popup you get when you hit a volume button on your laptop, which is now universal and does not require third party popups. I haven't tested many other apps yet because they are too simplistic for me and take up the entire screen.

In all, this OS is not really worth buying on a desktop IMO. Nothing like the jump from XP to 7 unless you have a laptop with a touchscreen, in which case the metro interface could be very helpful, along with the added features and stability to the desktop. I hardly use Metro and I find it better than 7. However, if you can get it for free like me then I would go ahead and do it. If you are a university student see if your school has dreamspark premium (if you have technet or MSDN then you probably know way more than me so I won't bother). Many do and don't even realize it. I go to University of Wisconsin and got it for free through there.