Wednesday was an amazing day in Redmond. Microsoft shocked us all with their Windows 10 preview announcements, showing off new features that will be a part of their new operating system.
The first shock and happy surprise: Windows 10 will be a FREE upgrade to both Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. I figured they would probably do it for Windows 8 users as a way to apologize for the bad operating system that was V.8. But I didn’t think they would do it for V.7 users. Just to clarify, the Win 10 upgrade will be available for one year after release and all Win 10 upgrades and updates will be free for the life of the product.
The next surprise was the inclusion of the Cortana voice assistant to all Windows 10 devices. I’ve been impressed with Cortana ever since its release on Windows Phones. From what I have seen and heard, it is better in many ways than Apple’s Siri. We shall see. If you upgrade to Windows 10, you will have a chance to find out.
But the biggest shock of the day was the announcement of HoloLens…a new wraparound headset with see-through glasses that allows the user to see and create holographic images. Windows 10 will include all the API’s that can activate the headset.
In the demonstration, we saw a woman build a quad copter in mid-air while wearing the glasses. The audience only saw her fingers moving in the air. But through the glasses, we could see the copter being built piece by piece and even painted. The device was developed in conjunction with NASA and they had a demo where the user could walk on Mars. Those who got to try out the prototype glasses were blown away. We will have more on this amazing device soon…but story #4 gives you a hands-on description of using it.
A quick look at some of the new features: Universal apps that work across all Windows devices (including Windows Phones); the new Project Spartan browser; and being able to play Xbox games streaming to your computer, using your Xbox device. There is more, but those are the highlights. PS: Be sure and watch the video in story #2 to see the new features.
By the way, the photo above shows the new Start Menu. As you can see, on the left is the Start Menu we are all familiar with. On the right are a few of the Metro-looking icons found in Window 8. You can change those, even expand them if you are a fan of the Metro interface.
Two years ago, I remember being moderately excited about Windows 8. Two days after installing the consumer preview, I knew it was a piece of #%^&%. I am going to install the consumer preview of Windows 10 inside the Parallels app on my MAC. I will let you know what I think.
Today’s blog is dominated by Windows 10, but, as always, there are other good stories and features to read. So enjoy! –JRC
Tech News and Opinions
The Best New Windows 10 Features
Here are the highlights of the announcements made by Microsoft on the new Windows 10 Operating System.
Joe Belfiore Walks Us Through What's New in the Latest Windows 10 Technical Preview
A new video from Joe Belfiore does a great job of providing demos without too much commentary and gives you a great look at all the major Windows 10 feature announcements.
Cortana Comes to PCs and Tablets in Windows 10
Cortana is not perfect, by any means. But, is heads-above Siri and is constantly improving thanks to the Microsoft Cloud connection.
Hands-On with Microsoft HoloLens
I believe HoloLens to be an innovation far more impressive than the voice and gesture capabilities of, say, Kinect. It really is pretty incredible.
Microsoft Project Spartan Preview
Microsoft's unveiled a new concept Web browser it calls Project Spartan. Joe Belfiore, VP of the operating systems group, gave a brief tour of some of the new features and how it would work on all Windows devices.
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