If I was in the market for a new phone right now, I’d be leaning strongly toward one that has the Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Meet Clarence.

I’ve had Windows 8 for a couple of weeks now. My conclusion: Be ready to spend some time reading. And you’re in much better shape if you have a touchscreen.

For my money, Windows 8 is not nearly intuitive enough. From navigation to launching or closing programs, I found myself repeatedly scurrying to the web for directions on how to do basic tasks.

Over the weekend, I upgraded an older Fujitsu tablet PC (model: ST5112, Intel Centrino Duo, 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM), which had been running Windows XP, to Windows 8. The upgrade price was right -- $39.99 for Windows 8 Pro – and upgrading the tablet meant I wasn’t damaging my main computer if I didn’t like the way things went.

The first major league home run I ever saw was at Wrigley Field. Ron Santo pulled a ball right down the line. Someone in left field went home with a souvenir that day; whoever it is, I wonder if he still has it.