Windows 10

The Next Chapter

By Anca Gagiuc on Jan 28, 2015 in Technology

The future of computing, in Microsoft’s vision, is way beyond the mouse, keyboard, and touchscreen. Will this extraordinary vision of personal computing be strong enough to walk side-by-side Apple and Google? Time will tell. Let’s take a look at Microsoft’s pitch.

Many had given up hope when picturing Microsoft’s future in the world of OSes, after the launch of 8 and 8.1.  But the vast majority of us has at least one device running on Windows OS, typically a PC or laptop. The press event which took place last week in Washington made spectators wonder: is this really a Microsoft conference?

It was indeed Microsoft, and it made 2015 be the year that science fiction becomes real. Windows 10 will arrive in fall 2015 as a free update to Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 and will run on phones, tablet, laptops, on a massive conference-room TV, and a mind-blowing holographic headset.  Opening the session, Joe Belfiore reminded attendees what the company showed off last September regarding Windows 10. Then, news started flowing.

Cortana Enters the PC Platform

The witty Cortana has outgrown the Windows Phone platform and now finds a home in  Windows 10, aiding with the system’s search features. She sits nicely right next to the Start button on the desktop’s taskbar, able to perform any basic trick she does in the Windows Phone, whether she’s asked vocally or via text.

Thanks to Microsoft’s cloud-based Bing brains, she is able to advise whether or not you’ll need a coat the next day by checking the forecast. She can dig on your local machine, OneDrive account, and even your business network, to find files or respond to commands through natural language queries: Belfiore asked her to find some specific PowerPoint slides and to show photos from a specific date and the digital personal assistant brought up the requested information in the blink of an eye. She also conformed promptly when asked to “Play my music” and when to “Please be quiet.”

Windows 10 and Universal Apps

Windows 10 for phones will act like an extension of your PC through the universal Windows apps, named like this because they share the same heart and design, and due to the newly Apple-resembling universal notifications feature that sync across Windows 10 devices. A free copy of Office will be delivered to all Windows 10 phones and small-screen devices; Outlook has been rebuilt as a universal Windows app, enabling editing on all devices simultaneously.

At the end of the Build 2014 Developer’s Conference, CEO Satya Nadella said “Our vision simply put, is to thrive in this world of mobile first, cloud first,’ and he is keeping his word. Microsoft is bringing the could-centric experiences of the universal apps to the core Windows apps as well, powered by OneDrive on the backend. The Photos app will create albums from all devices, removing duplicate and burst photos, while an upgraded universal People app will gather all your contacts, and the Music app will also enable you to put your collection in OneDrive to access it whenever and from whatever device you have handy. Maps will also welcome Cortana and she will be able to remember where you parked your car.

This is Spartan

The era of the 20-year old blue e Internet Explorer brand (for some the Internet itself) is sort of coming to an end. The new browser, codenamed Spartan is almost ready to take its place as the default Windows browser, representing the future of Microsoft’s browser development.

It has a new interface, clean and light, with design cues from Chrome with tabs in the title bar and the address bar inside the tabs. It features Cortana support, a Reading List that saves article for offline reading and sync between devices plus the ability to annotate and clip pieces of webpages for easier sharing. Sounds familiar, right?

Cortana’s involvement in the browser was showcased by Belfiore by searching for “Delta” in his address bar and returning information for a Delta flight he was following. Furthermore, the digital assistant will also pop when you visit a restaurant’s website, surfacing directions and details about the location’s menu, hours, and reviews.

Surface Hub and Windows Holographic

This is not really related to Windows 10, but is what made many exclaim: Magic! It is related to an expansive and completely unexpected hardware announcement from Microsoft – the Surface Hub, an 84-inch, 4K, touch-enabled display for office collaboration. Even more unbelievable than the Surface Hub is the Windows Holographic, a suite of technologies – headset, new Windows 10 technology, and the HoloStudio development app – that introduces sci-fi into reality, more precisely intense augmented reality aptitudes to Windows.

The presenters were not clear on when the new toys will be available, just a promise of “later this year.” To be continued…