Other options are very handy, like the option to have the Echo take you directly to Recorded TV when it is turned on -- rather than the main menu, which is the default in Media Center.

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That is to say, if you set shuffle in your main menu, and then disable it in your player menu, the next time you load a new set of tracks it will be set back to shuffle.

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And should a friend need to use your phone to Skype a buddy in Belgrade, account switching is now integrated into the main menu.

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Their specially concocted menu, named Backstage, is served in the main room, where the centrepiece is a bar piled high with scaffolding that serves cocktails in sealed bags with rubber ducks floating inside.

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Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system is built for touchscreen devices like tablets, too, and it offers a lot of advantages over iOS. All Windows 8 apps can run in a split screen so you can run two at once, plus the main menu is capable of displaying real-time updates for stuff like news and weather.

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Just like in Honeycomb, a virtual menu button (represented here by three vertically stacked dots) appears to the right of the main row of softkeys when running legacy apps.

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