Yesterday, Microsoft took the wraps off of the upcoming Windows 10 in a big way. Their event showcased the new OS, new hardware, software and how the ecosystem of devices will work together. We saw some really amazing things and still others that we expected. Let’s take a closer look.
One thing that has been a big focus of news coverage is that Windows 10 will be free to upgrade if you are running Windows 7, 8/8.1, or Windows Phone 8/8.1. This is a great strategy and will allow for a quick rise is market share. The big thing to take from this is simple. If you have a good system that qualifies for the free upgrade, your golden. On the other hand if you are still running Windows XP, please do yourself a favor and upgrade now to Windows 8.1. You’ll save yourself from a lot of issues that are increasing on Windows XP, including some nasty malware. For those of you running Windows Vista, if you can upgrade to Windows 8.1, do it, but it’s not super critical at this point. You are better off than Windows XP users who have no real security anymore. Better yet, once you get Windows 10- you’ll always have the latest version. Windows becomes a service, you’ll never have to pay for another upgrade on that device again. Rant over, let’s continue.
Joe Belfiore shows it best in this video:
Windows 10 brings you a personal digital assistant with Cortana, those of us with Windows Phone 8.1 already know how useful she is, but now she is getting more powerful and more helpful. We get a new Browser, Project Spartan allows a much cleaner distraction free web browsing experience. It supports PDFs natively and allows us to write directly on sites. This is actually pretty cool. Not only do we have a potential way to get rid of the bloated Adobe Reader, but we can jot notes and be more productive.
Universal Apps have been a topic of discussion for a while now and we are finally getting the big picture. Apps like Office, maps, games, and more all available in the Windows Store on all Windows Devices. They also share data. This means I can look up directions on my PC and my Windows Phone already knows and has that info. Granted we have that in a few games like Halo Spartan Assault where I can progress from my phone, PC, or Xbox.
Speaking of Xbox, we get a new Xbox app on Windows 10. Xbox App brings a lot to the table including streaming games from your Xbox One! Granted, you’ll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your Xbox One, but it’s awesome to say the least. We get better cross platform gaming. We can create, edit, record and share gaming experiences right from Windows. For Windows games we get DirectX 12 for some serious improvements on Speed, Graphics, and efficiency.
I have a few 2 in 1 devices and Windows 10 will make them even more useful thanks to Continuum Mode which allows me to transition my experience from Touch/Tablet to Keyboard/Mouse with ease. The demo of this feature just made me want it now.
Last but far from least, like a galaxy far far away from least is HoloLens. HoloLens is a new wearable tech that brings interactive digital objects in to the real world. Think about Tony Stark using his computer with Jarvis and you are very close. This is one of the most exciting technologies I have seen in a long, long time. I could talk about this for awhile, but I’ll let Microsoft blow your minds with this video.
One last thing that was mention as coming soon was the ability to store all your music is Onedrive and be able to access it from all your devices. Add this to the coming improvements with the Photos app and we are working and creating so much easier and smarter. What are your thoughts on Windows 10 and the upcoming new Technologies? Share them with us below.