It's official, Microsoft launched the next generation of Windows called Windows 10 which will run on PCs and laptops, smartphones and tablets. as well as servers.
As you may already know Windows 10 was tested by over 4 million people around the world before its launch and according to Microsoft, Windows 10 is built from the ground up for a world in which mobile - and cloud computing are key. Executives from the company said it was committed to making Windows 10 friendly for the enterprise, ideal for keyboard and mouse users, but also optimised for touch. Oh, and Windows 10 will put the same interface on devices with displays ranging from 4-inches to 80-inches.
'One product family, one platform, one store,' says Microsoft.
What's new in Windows 10
Looks familiar in the images? Yes you are right, the start Menu is back containing standard Windows software and Windows apps with modern UI.
This time the Start menu is improved, and it may even make Windows apps useful. Look to the left and you'll see a list of your most-used apps, just as in Windows 7. At the bottom we see an 'All apps' shortcut, plus shortcuts to File Explorer, Settings and – conveniently – shut down and standby.
Also Microsoft has retained the functionality of the Windows 8 Start screen over on the right, with resizable Live Tiles so that you can immediately check unread mail or Calendar appointments. The Start Menu is customisable - you can resize it, and rearrange the tiles, create groups of tiles, and you can also revert it back to the Windows 8 Start Screen if you wish to.
Cortana/Search
Instead of placing a search box in the Start menu, or hiding it completely as is the case in Windows 8, Windows 10 sticks it front and centre on the Taskbar. This is a smart move, as it’s always there ready to serve up whatever you need to find or what to know. If you’ve ever used a phone running Windows Phone 8, you’ll probably know Cortana already. The beauty is that you can type or talk to her and it’s the same in Windows 10. Cortana can save reminders for you, show you news about specific topics, show you a list of topics containing the word you type to her and last but not least she can set alarms, record notes, play specific music, launch apps and give you directions on a map.
There's a new web browser in Windows 10, and it offers some unique features. As well as the reading mode you may already be familiar with from other browsers, which strips away page furniture so you can focus on the content, there's a new annotation feature which lets you highlight things and add notes and crop to a certain area of the page before sending them to others. The new browser of Microsoft is really quick and can certainly compete against Google Chrome and Firefox.
Want to upgrade to Windows 10? Why not as you may already know that the new operating system by Microsoft is free to upgrade from if you are already running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 so there is really no reason not to upgrade unless you really need to continue using the OS you are using now. The bottom line is that Windows 10 is a great operating system. Indeed it’s fair to say even at this early stage that it’s the best Windows yet. It’s not perfect, of course, and there will undoubtedly be bugs that need fixing, so expect patches and updates very soon.
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