windows 10 primer what to expect from microsoft's new operating system - {llife_me}
DESCRIPTION
Windows 10 Primer What to Expect from Microsoft's New Operating SystemTRANSCRIPT
-
Windows10PrimerWhattoExpectfromMicrosoftsNewOperating
System
MikeHalsey,MVP
-
Windows10Primer:WhattoExpectfromMicrosoftsNewOperatingSystem
Copyright2015byMikeHalsey
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.Exemptedfromthislegalreservationarebriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysisormaterialsuppliedspecificallyforthepurposeofbeingenteredandexecutedonacomputersystem,forexclusiveusebythepurchaserofthework.DuplicationofthispublicationorpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheCopyrightLawofthePublisherslocation,initscurrentversion,andpermissionforusemustalwaysbeobtainedfromSpringer.PermissionsforusemaybeobtainedthroughRightsLinkattheCopyrightClearanceCenter.ViolationsareliabletoprosecutionundertherespectiveCopyrightLaw.
ISBN-13(pbk):978-1-4842-1047-5
ISBN-13(electronic):978-1-4842-1046-8
Trademarkednames,logos,andimagesmayappearinthisbook.Ratherthanuseatrademarksymbolwitheveryoccurrenceofatrademarkedname,logo,orimage,weusethenames,logos,andimagesonlyinaneditorialfashionandtothebenefitofthetrademarkowner,withnointentionofinfringementofthetrademark.
Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,eveniftheyarenotidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyaresubjecttoproprietaryrights.
Whiletheadviceandinformationinthisbookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication,neithertheauthorsnortheeditorsnorthepublishercanacceptanylegalresponsibilityforanyerrorsoromissionsthatmaybemade.Thepublishermakesnowarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedherein.
ManagingDirector:WelmoedSpahr
LeadEditor:GwenanSpearing
TechnicalReviewer:KathleenAnderson
EditorialBoard:SteveAnglin,GaryCornell,LouiseCorrigan,JamesT.DeWolf,JonathanGennick,RobertHutchinson,MichelleLowman,JamesMarkham,MatthewMoodie,SusanMcDermott,JeffreyPepper,DouglasPundick,DominicShakeshaft,GwenanSpearing,MattWade,SteveWeiss
CoordinatingEditor:MelissaMaldonado
CopyEditor:AprilRondeau
Compositor:SPIGlobal
Indexer:SPIGlobal
Artist:SPIGlobal
DistributedtothebooktradeworldwidebySpringerScience+BusinessMediaNewYork,233SpringStreet,6thFloor,NewYork,NY10013.Phone1-800-SPRINGER,fax(201)348-4505,[email protected],orvisitwww.springeronline.com.ApressMedia,LLCisaCaliforniaLLCandthesolemember(owner)isSpringerScience+BusinessMediaFinanceInc(SSBMFinanceInc).SSBMFinanceIncisaDelawarecorporation.
Forinformationontranslations,[email protected],orvisitwww.apress.com.
ApressandfriendsofEDbooksmaybepurchasedinbulkforacademic,corporate,orpromotionaluse.eBookversionsandlicensesarealsoavailableformosttitles.Formoreinformation,referenceourSpecialBulkSaleseBookLicensingwebpageatwww.apress.com/bulk-sales.
Anysourcecodeorothersupplementarymaterialsreferencedbytheauthorinthistextisavailabletoreadersatwww.apress.com.Fordetailedinformationabouthowtolocateyourbookssourcecode,gotowww.apress.com/source-code/.
-
ForLawrenceHall(19422014)Friend,Confidant,andalwaysanITPro
-
ContentsataGlanceAbouttheAuthor
AbouttheTechnicalReviewer
Introduction
Chapter1:IntroducingWindows10
Chapter2:NewandImprovedFeaturesinWindows10
Chapter3:Windows10forPhoneandOtherDevices
Chapter4:WhatsNewforEndUsers?
Chapter5:WhatsNewforBusinesses?
Chapter6:MaximizingSecurityandProductivity
Index
-
ContentsAbouttheAuthor
AbouttheTechnicalReviewer
Introduction
Chapter1:IntroducingWindows10
MicrosoftsThreeAreasofFocusMobilityofExperience
Trust
NaturalInteraction
TheBigQuestionsPricingandAvailability
UpgradingfromWindows7orWindows8.1
UpgradingfromWindowsRT
UpgradingfromXPorVista
Windows10onNewPCs
SoftwareAssurance
UpgradingfromWindowsPhone8.1andXbox
WhatElseDoYouNeedtoKnow?UpgradingandtheStorageSpaceProblem
RollingBackWindows10
TheImprovedInstallationandUpdatingExperience
Windows10,DifferentbyDevice
NoDesktoponSmallerPCs
Summary
Chapter2:NewandImprovedFeaturesinWindows10
CortanaManagingCortanasSettingsandPrivacy
ThatSyncingFeeling
ManagingDifferentFormFactorswithContinuum
TheNotificationCenter
IntegratingYourPC(s)andPhone
MicrosoftOfficeforWindows10
-
Spartan!
DawnoftheUniversalApp
RevampedWindowsAppStore
Summary
Chapter3:Windows10forPhoneandOtherDevices
Windows10forPhoneTheNotificationCenter
EnhancedKeyboard
Customization
BetterOrganizedSettings
AdditionalImprovementsinWindows10forPhone
SoWhatsinItforBusinesses?
XboxOne
TheInternetofThingsRaspberryPi2
Summary
Chapter4:WhatsNewforEndUsers?
MultipleDesktops
TheReturnoftheStartMenu
ImprovedAppSwitchingwithTaskView
Four-WaySnap!
SearchfromtheTaskbar
ImprovedFileExplorer
TouchandTrackpadGestures
SingleSign-On
OneDriveandOneDriveforBusiness
GamingandXboxStreaming
NewAppsComingtoWindows10
MicrosoftHoloLens
Summary
-
Chapter5:WhatsNewforBusinesses?
BusinessFeaturesinWindows8
UniversalAppsandEnterpriseAppStores
ManagingUpdatesandUpgradesintheWorkplace
SimplifyingDeployment
AzureandActiveDirectorySingleSign-on
TheInternetExplorerQuestion
IdentityProtection,AccessControl,andVPNUpdatesThreatResistance
BYODImprovementsinWindows10
TheSurfaceHubDigitalWhiteboard
CollaborationTools
Specially-DesignedApps
EasytoUseandDeploy
Summary
Chapter6:MaximizingSecurityandProductivity
SecurityFeaturesinWindows8ApplicationSandboxing
IEEnhancedProtectedMode
AdvancedExploitProtection
SmartScreen
SecureBoot
Two-FactorAuthenticationintheOSUserAccessTokenProtection
End-to-EndEncryption
AppProtection
ThreatResistance
Summary
Index
-
AbouttheAuthor
MikeHalseyisaMicrosoftMVP(MostValuableProfessional)awardeeandtheauthorofmanyWindowsbooks,includingtheforthcomingBeginningWindows10andWindows10TroubleshootingfromApress.TheyregreatbooksthathebelieveswouldmakeexcellentChristmaspresents!
MikegivesmanytalksaboutWindowssubjectsrangingfromproductivitytosecurityandhasbeenbetatestingWindowsversionssinceVista.Hemakeshelp,how-to,andtroubleshootingvideosunderthebannerPCSupport.tv.YoucanfollowhimonFacebookandTwitter@PCSupportTV,andyoullbeabletowatchhisnewWindows10productivityvideoslaterthisyearatWindows.do.
-
AbouttheTechnicalReviewer
KathleenAndersonwasfirsthonoredwiththeMicrosoftMVPawardinOctober2001.ShehasworkedwithFrontPagesince1997,withExpressionWebsinceVersion1,andintheITfieldforoverthirtyyears.KathleenrecentlyretiredfromtheStateofConnecticutafter25yearsofservice,andhasrelocatedtothebeachinOakIsland,NorthCarolina.SheservedastheCore-CTWebmaster(http://www.core-ct.state.ct.us)andchairedtheStateofConnecticutsCommitteeonWebSiteAccessibility.Sheownsawebdesigncompany,SpiderWebWomanDesigns(http://www.spiderwebwoman.com).ShewasaTechnicalEditoronMicrosoftExpressionWeb4InDepth;SamsTeachYourselfMicrosoftExpressionWeb4,SecondEdition;ExpressionBlend4StepbyStep;andMyKindleFire.SheisknowninsomecirclesastheFrontPageDatabaseWizardQueenandinothersastheAccessibilityDiva.
-
IntroductionWindows10isthemosthotlyanticipatedversionofMicrosoftsdesktopOSinsometime,andthefirstinjustaslongthathasreceivedalmostuniversalacclaimfromusers,enthusiasts,bloggers,andthemedia,sothepressuresontodeliversomethingthatsbothsuper-coolandfeature-packed.
FortunatelyforMicrosoft,theyredeliveringbothqualitiesinspades,whichseemsoddtothisauthor,asIvebeen,severaltimes,tothesurprisinglyordinarybuildinginwhichitisbeingwritten,andsharedcoffeewithsomeofthepeoplewhoarebringingthemagictolife.YoumightbesurprisedtohearthattheWindowsdevelopmentteamisnotavastarmyofprogrammers,butratherasmallerandselectteamofquiteexceptionalpeoplewhorarelygetanyofthepraisetheydeserve.
TheressimplysomuchthatsnewandimprovedstuffedintoWindows10thatitsawondertheseprogrammersevergetanysleep,oranytimewiththeirfriendsandfamily.Yet,timeofftheydoindeedget,anddespitetheselfishneedsoffriends,family,spouses,andchildrenoutsideofMicrosoft,afantasticoperatingsystemisbeingwritten.
Itsnotfinishedyet,though.AsIwritethisintroduction,pressureispilingonMicrosofttoreleasemorefrequentbetabuildsoftheOS,anditsclearfromleaksandnewsstoriesthattheresanawfullongwaytogoyet.
Soonerorlater,though,thisoperatingsystemwillbefinished,anditwillbespectacularandpackedsofulloffeaturesthatyoumayneverfindthemall(notunlessyoubuymyBeginningWindows10andWindows10Troubleshootingbookslaterthisyear,anyway).Inthisbook,though,Ihopetogetyoustarted,excited,andenthusedaboutwhatWindows10willbeabletodoforyou,yourfamily,andyourbusiness.
-
CHAPTER1
IntroducingWindows10FirstunveiledtotheworldinApril2014atMicrosoftsBUILDconference,Windows10istheseventeenthversionofMicrosoftsdesktopoperatingsystem,andtheninthversionofthebusiness-focusedNTkernel.There,wegotthenamingquestionoutofthewayearlyon.
Windows10followsWindows8.1,whichsufferedfrompoortake-upfrommanyconsumersbecauseofcriticismofitsmoderntouch-friendlyuserinterfaceandwhatwasaperceivedfocusawayfromthedesktoptowardsmaller,tablet-andhybrid-styledevices.
Inthebusinessspace,Windows8and8.1werealwayslikelytobeskipped,aslargebusinessesonlyliketoupgradetheirdesktopoperatingsystemseverytwoWindowsversionsand,asWindows8wasbeinglaunched,manywereonlybeginningdeploymentsofWindows7.
ItsoftenbeensaidthatWindowsreleasesareratherlikeStarTrekmovies,inthatonlyeveryotheroneisgreat.BothWindowsXPandWindows7launchedtoenormousraptureandfanfare,gainingplauditsaroundtheworldandbuildingarmiesofloyalfans.Thereleasesbetweenthese,howeverVistaandWindows8despitebothbeingmajorupdatestotheOS,werelesswellreceived.Vistawasseentobeslowandresource-hungry,andWindows8wasseentobenotverygoodonthedesktop.
WithWindows10,Microsofthassoughttoaddressalloftheconcernspeoplehavehad,notjustaboutWindows8,butaboutWindowsingeneral.Morethanthis,however,thecompanyhaslookedindetailatwhatpeoplelikedmostaboutWindowsXPandWindows7andworkedtoensurethatpeoplegetanexperiencewithWindows10thattheyllbothfeelcomfortablewithandenjoy.Indeed,inNovember2014IspoketosomeseniormembersoftheWindowsproductteamandtoldthemthatWindows10wouldbesuccessfulsimplybecause,likeXPandWindows7,theydmadeitblue.
Soletsreturntothename,asmanypeoplehavewonderedwhyMicrosoftmadethejumpfromWindows8.1toWindows10.ThisnewoperatingsystemisintendedtobethelastmajorversionoftheWindowsOS.Thisdoesntmeanitwillbegoingaway,butrather,likeAppledidwiththeirOSXdesktopoperatingsystem,itwontagainbereceivingthekindofmajorupdateswesawinWindows8.
NoteTheminimumhardwarespecificationMicrosofthavedetailedforaPCcapableofrunningWindows10isaprocessorrunningat1GHzorfaster,aminimum1GBRAM(2GBforthe64-bitversionofWindows10),atleast16GBfreestoragefortheOS,andgraphicsthatsupportDirectX9orlater.Notall1GHz+processorswillbecompatiblehowever,youshouldcheckyourprocessorspecificationstoseeifitsupportsthePAE,NXandSSE2standards(allofwhicharerequiredbyWindows10).
-
Windows10willalsobeMicrosoftsfirsttrulycross-platformoperatingsystem,runningoneverythingfromdesktops,laptops,andtabletsdowntophones,theXboxOne,andInternetofThings(IoT)devices,andupwardstotheirnewSurfaceHubandHolographicheadset,HoloLens(seeFigure1-1).
Figure1-1.OneWindowsforallyourdevices
Forsuchamajorrelease,andforthefinalmajorreleaseofWindows,thenumber9justdidntsoundmajorenough,and,frankly,itwouldhavebeenanoddnumbertofinishon.Theotheralternative,justcallingtheOSWindows,mighthaveopenedMicrosofttolitigationandcopyrightclaimsinsomemarketsinthewaythathappenedwiththeirSkyDrivecloudbackupservicein2014.SkyDrivewaseventuallyrenamedOneDrive,butitwouldbehardertodothiswithWindowsshouldlitigationarise.AndsoWindows10ithadtobe.
ThefinalreleaseofWindows10willbeoutlaterin2015,butfornowwevegotabetaTechnicalPreviewrelease,andalotofquestions.Thatswhatthisbookisfortoguideyouthrougheverythingthatsnew,updated,orremovedinWindows10,answeringthequestionsyouhaveofhowitwillaffectyou,howitcanaidproductivity,howitwillbemoresecureandrobust,andsoon.
BythetimeofthesecondmajorTechnicalPreviewreleaseinJanuary2015,thereweremorethan1.7millionpeoplesignedupwiththeWindowsInsidersbetaprogram,andtherewasagreatdealofexcitementandgoodwilltowardMicrosoftsnewOS.
Thisisstillabetaproduct,however,designedbyateamofextremelytalentedengineersinabuildinginRedmond,Washington(seeFigure1-2).Thismeansthatasyoureadthisbook,thingswillstillbechanging,andthefinalreleasewilldifferslightlyfromthescreenshotsandinformationyoureadhere.
-
Figure1-2.WindowsisdesignedandcodedatMicrosoftsRedmondCampus
Thisisnttosaythatwedontalreadyknowagreatdealaboutwhatthefinalreleasewillbring,anditsthesedetailsthatIllbesharingwithyouinthisbook.
NoteYoucandownloadtheWindows10TechnicalPreviewathttps://insider.windows.com.Pleaserememberthatthisoperatingsystemisnotfinishedandwillbemissingfeaturesandwillbeunstableonsomehardware.
-
MicrosoftsThreeAreasofFocusIvementionedalreadythatMicrosoftwantedtoachieveseveralthingswithWindows10.InadditiontopushingtheWindowsparadigmforward,theywantedtoensurethatanybodymovingtotheOSfromXPorWindows7wouldhaveafamiliarandcomfortableexperience.Toachievethesegoals,theysetthemselvesthreeareasoffocus.
MobilityofExperienceWindows8setthegoalofgettingtheuserinterfaceoutoftheway.ThedesignbriefforthatOSwasthatyourPCexperienceshouldbeallaboutthecontentinyourappsandnotwhatscalledthewindowfurniture.ThisledtosomeissuesofdiscoverabilityforUIfeatures,suchasthecharmsandtheappmenubar.
Windows10isreversingthis,butnotcompletely.OptionsandmenusaremuchmoreeasilydiscoveredinthenewOSindeed,theyreexactlywhereyoumightexpecttofindthembutextrafocushasbeenplacedongettingthetechnologyoutoftheway.
ThereisagreatdealofcleverandinnovativetechnologyinWindows10,includingfeatureslikeOneDrive,Cortana,andContinuum,allofwhichwillbedetailedinthecomingchapters.MicrosoftdoesntwantuserstohavetowadethroughmyriadcontrolsandsettingsjusttobeabletoconfiguretheOSandtheirappstooperatethewaytheywant.
Thisisagoodareatofocusonwhenyouthinkaboutit,asthenumberoftools,utilities,andfeaturesintheOSnumberinthehundreds,andtheconfigurationoptionsinthethousandsorperhapseventhehundredsofthousands.Allowingpeopletofocusonthecontentoftheirdocumentsorwebpagesisanexcellentplacetobegin.
Inaddition,MicrosoftwantspeoplesexperienceofWindows10tobethesameacrosswhicheverdevicetheyuse.ThiscouldbeadesktopPC,atablet,phone,ortheXbox.Eachofthesedeviceswillsynchronizewitheachotherinnewandcleverways,andMicrosoftdoesntwantpeopletohavetolearnhowtousemultipleinterfacesandcontrols.
TrustOneofthebiggestissuespeoplehavewithtechnologyinthetwenty-firstcenturyistrust.Howdoweknowthatourdevicesaresecureandthatourfilesanddataaresafe?HowdoweknowthattheOSandourappsarentcollectingvaluablemarketingorpersonaldataaboutus,andthenbroadcastingthattocompaniesorevenmakingitavailabletogovernmentsandsecurityagencies?
MicrosoftisemphasizingwithWindows10thattheuserisfirmlyincontroloftheirownprivacy,andthisbeginsattheinstallationstage,whereyoureaskedwhatyouwanttosharewithMicrosoft(seeFigure1-3)bybringingtotheforetheprivacysettingsthatpeoplemayotherwisefailtofindafterWindowsisinstalled.
-
Figure1-3.PrivacychoicesbeginwhenyouinstallWindows10
TheCortanapersonalassistantcancollectdetailsaboutyou,includingyourlikes,location,friends,andmore,inordertoassistyoudaytoday.Allofthiscanbedisabledifyoudontwishthedatatobestored,however.ThisfocusonputtingtheuserclearlyandtransparentlyincontroloftheirdatacanbeseenthroughouttheWindows10TechnicalPreview,anditwillbewelcomedbymanyaroundtheworld.
Additionally,newsecurityfeatureswillhelpprotectyourfiles,data,andpersonalinformationfromtheftbyunscrupulousindividualswishingtoexploityou,andend-to-endencryptionovercompanynetworksandtheInternetcanminimizetheavailablesurfaceformalwareandhackingattacks.
NaturalInteractionBecauseWindows10willbethelastmajorversionoftheOS,itneedstobeforward-looking.WeveusedkeyboardsandmicetointeractwithourPCssincetheadventofthecomputer,andtheyrestillthemostcommonwaytointeracttoday.
Windowshassupportedhandwritingrecognitionformanyyears,however,andanybodywhoregularlyusesOneNoteonaMicrosoftSurfacePro3willlikelyattesttohowaccurateandhelpfulitcanbe.
Speechrecognitionisalsoimprovingsignificantly,andanybodywhosusedCortanaontheirWindowsPhonewillknowhowusefulitcanbetobeabletodictateemails,textmessages,reminders,andmore.Thentheresgesturecontrol,bothfortabletandhybriddevices,andalsousedinawaybyMicrosoftsKinectgamingsensor.
HoweveryouwanttointeractwithWindows10,andwhateverdeviceitisdoneon,bethisadesktopPC,tablet,orHoloLensheadset,theOSincludescontrolsthatarenaturalandintuitivetouse,andthathavebeenrefinedbyMicrosoftovermanyyears.
-
Lastly,theresvision.ItsverycommonforPCs,especiallylaptopsandtablets,tocomewithforward-facingcameras,andsoitseemsrightthatMicrosoftalsoallowsyoutocontrolyourPCwithasmileandawave.
Aboveandbeyondallelse,thesemanyinputandcontrolmethodsmakeWindowsmoreaccessibleforabroaderrangeofpeople.ItsnotjustthosewithphysicaldisabilitieswhocanhavetroubleinteractingwithaPC.Thosewithevenminormotororvisionproblems,suchasnearsightedness,andtheveryyoungcanexperiencedifficulty.Expandingtherangeofinteractionmethodshelpsfuture-prooftheOSasweallgetolderandhungrierfortechnologyandaconnectiontotheInternet.
TheBigQuestionsNaturally,peopleareaskingalotofquestionsaboutWindows10,whichalsomeanstherearealotofinaccurateanswersbeingprovided,evenonsomeofthemostpopulartechnologyblogs.Letsdealwiththesequestionsonebyoneandweedoutthefactsfromthefiction.WhatfollowsarethemostcommonquestionsbeingaskedbybothindividualconsumersandbusinessesaboutWindows10.
PricingandAvailabilityTheresnoformalreleasedateforWindows10otherthanthesecondhalfof2015,andnopricinghasbeenannouncedeither.WhathasbeensaidisthatforPCusersrunningup-to-datecopiesofWindows7andWindows8.1,theupgradetoWindows10willbefreeforthefirsttwelvemonthsofthelifeofthenewOS.
Therehasbeensomeconfusionaboutthis,withafewbloggersspeculatingthatafterthisintroductoryperioduserswillhavetopayachargeorevenaregularsubscriptiontousetheirownPCs.Soletsgetthefirstpieceofmisinformationoutoftheway.Freemeansfree!IfyouupgradeyourcopyofWindows7orWindows8.1duringthefirsttwelvemonthsafterWindows10isreleased,youwillneveragainhavetopayafeetouseWindows10onthatPC.ThisincludesallmajorupdatestoWindows10,allofwhichwillalsobefree.
IfyoupurchaseanewPC,youwillalsobepurchasinganewcopyofWindows10withit,andshouldyouupgradeaPCfromWindowsXPorWindowsVista,youwillneedtopurchaseadownloadorretailcopyoftheOS.
Again,wedontknowwhatpricingwillbe.AttheirJanuary2015event,Microsoftstatedthattheyjusthaventdecidedonpricingyet.WhenWindows8launched,however,therewerediscountedoffersavailableforthosepurchasingacopyoftheOSearly,anditisMicrosoftsintentiontohaveasmanyPCusersaspossibleswitchtoWindows10asquicklyaspossible.
ItsentirelylikelythenthatdiscountswillbeavailableforXPandVistausers,butonlyforalimitedtimeofperhapsamonthorso.Thesearequestionswesimplydonthaveanyanswerstoyet,butMicrosoftisveryunlikelytoplacebarriersinthewaytoupgrading.
-
UpgradingfromWindows7orWindows8.1IfyouarecurrentlyusingWindows7orWindows8.1youwillbeabletoupgradeforfreewhenWindows10isreleased.Indeed,ifyouhavealreadyupgradedtotheWindows10TechnicalPreviewfromoneoftheseoperatingsystemsyouwillalsobeabletoupgradetothefinalversionoftheOSforfree.
Theupgradewillbeavailableseveraldifferentwaystoensurethatthemaximumnumberofpeoplewillbeabletotakeadvantageofit.IfyousubscribetoaservicesuchasMicrosoftsDeveloperNetwork(MSDN),youwillbeabletodownloadafullISOimagefileforthefinalversion,whichcanbemountedinsideWindowsorburnedtoaDVD.RunningSetupfromwithinthisISOfilewillallowyoutoupgradetoWindows10.
NoteWindows8.1allowsyoutonativelymountanISOfilesothatitcanbeaccessedasifitwereaharddisk.Right-clickonthefileandselectMountfromtheoptionsthatappear.
Perhapsmoreusefulaswellaseasiertouse,theWindows10upgradewillalsobethefirsttimeMicrosofthasreleasedanoperatingsystemthroughWindowsUpdate.Normallyamechanismfordownloadingandinstallingsecurityandstabilitypatchesandservicepacks,WindowsUpdatehasanamethatnaturallyimpliesthatitoughttobepossibletouseittoupdateWindows.Indeed,thiswillbethecase,asWindows10willappearasanoptionalupdateforusersofWindows7andWindows8.1uponitsrelease.
ThefinalwaytoupgradetoWindows10isbeingusedbyInsiderstoinstalltheTechnicalPreview,andthisisasmallinstallfilethatcanbedownloadedmanuallyfromtheMicrosoftwebsite.Itsnotyetknownifthefreeupdatewillbeavailableinthisform,thoughitisverylikelythatonlinepurchasesoftheOSwillcomewithboththeISOfileandthesmalldownloader.
UpgradingyourPCfromWindows7andWindows8.1willallowyoutokeepeverythinginplace:yourfiles,settings,andallyourappsanddesktopprograms.Microsofthasworkedhardtoensurethisisthecase.
Theupgradeprocessalsoincludesadowngradeoptionforthefirsttime,enablingyoutorollbacktoyourpreviouscopyofWindowsasthoughWindows10wereneverthere,shouldyouwanttodothis.
UpgradingfromWindowsRTIfyouareusingaWindowsRTdevicesuchasMicrosoftsSurfaceRTorSurface2tablets,youwillalsobeabletoupgradetoWindows10onitsrelease,thoughtheoverallexperiencemightbeslightlydifferentforyou.
MicrosofthasyettoexplainhowtheWindows10experienceforWindowsRTdevices,aswellassomelower-endWindowsPhonehandsets,willbedifferent.Wedoknow,however,thatsmallWindows10devices,thosewithscreensofeightinchesorless,willcomewithtouch-enabledversionsofMicrosoftOutlook,Word,Excel,and
-
PowerPoint.TheseappswillbeavailabletopurchaseintheWindowsStoreforotherdevicesandwilllikelybefreewithsomeOffice365subscriptions.
Thisisspeculationatthispoint,butitisentirelylikelythatthesetouchversionsofOfficewillreplacethedesktopeditionsinWindowsRT,asMicrosofthassaidthatWindowsdeviceswithscreensofeightinchesorlesswonthaveadesktop.ThisisalsolikelytoextendtoRT-baseddevices.
UpgradingfromXPorVistaThereisnodirectupgradepathfromWindowsXPorWindowsVista,andMicrosofthasnotyetcommentedonwhetheryouwillbeabletoperformanin-placeupgradeoracleaninstallationofWindows10.
WhenWindows8wasreleaseditwaspossibletoupgradeinplacefromVista,butnottokeepyourapps,justyoursettingsandfiles.ItslikelythatrunningtheinstallerfromwithinWindowsVistawillreplicatethatbehavior,soyouwillneedtoreinstallyourprogramsandconfigureyoursettingsafterWindows10isinstalled.
WindowsXPisanunknownatthisstage,buttheupgradeprocesstoWindows8wouldonlyallowyoutokeepyourpersonalfiles.Shouldanin-placeupgradeforWindowsXPbesupported,thiswillstillbethecase.ThisisbecausethecorearchitectureofXPisfundamentallydifferentfromthatofMicrosoftsmodernoperatingsystems,andthesettingsfortheOSarealsoextremelydifferent.
Windows10onNewPCsIfyoupurchaseanewPCfromthereleasedateoftheOSonwards,youwillgetafullcopyofWindows10installedonit.Thiswontbeafreecopy,butinsteadwillbeincludedinthecostofthePChardware.
ThiscouldbeeitheracleancopyoftheOSoraversionmodifiedbytheOEM(OriginalEquipmentManufacturer)thatbuiltthePC.OEMcopiesofWindowsaretiedtoparticularhardwareandcannotbemovedtodifferentPCs,unlikecleancopiesdownloadedfromMicrosoftorpurchasedinretailstores,whichMicrosoftallowsyoutomovetoadifferentPCshouldyoursdie.
SoftwareAssuranceEnterprisecustomerswhosubscribetoMicrosoftsSoftwareAssuranceprogramwillbeunaffected.ISOimagefilesforWindows10willbeavailabletodownloadandinstallfromthedaytheoperatingsystemhitsRTM(ReleasetoManufacturing),whichisroughly30daysbeforetheretailrelease.
MicrosofthassaidthatSoftwareAssurancecustomerswillnotqualifyforthefreeupgradetoWindows10eveniftheircomputersarerunningWindows7orWindows8.1,astheEnterpriseeditionwillnotbeincludedintheoffer.
-
UpgradingfromWindowsPhone8.1andXboxMicrosofthassaidthatallusersofWindowsPhone8.1willbeabletogetafreeupgradetoWindows10forPhones,butthereisacaveat.Somecellularnetworkshavedecidednottofurthersupportsomephonemodels,andthiscanincludeonesthatcangetWindows10.
Forcellularnetworksthataresupportingtheupgrade,youcanexpecttherollouttobeginatthetimeofWindows10sretailrelease,andthenrunforaperiodofmonthsafterwards,sonotallphoneswillgettheupgradeimmediately.ThishappensbecausethenetworksandhandsetmanufacturersneedtobecertainthatanyOSupdatewillbefullycompatiblewiththeirhandsetsandtheirownapps,andtheyneedtimetotesttheOSandupdateanyappsasnecessary.
IfyouarenotalreadyusingWindowsPhone8.1,andupdatesarenotavailable,youwillnotbeabletoupgradeyourhandsettoWindows10.Thatis,unlessyoudownloadthePreviewforDevelopersapp,fromhttp://pcs.tv/1a3AiV9,anduseittocreateafreeappdeveloperaccountwithMicrosoft.
ThisallowsyoutogetfreeOSupdatesdirectlyfromMicrosoft,bypassingthecellularnetworksaltogether.Bydoingthis,anyhandsetthatscapableofrunningWindowsPhone8.1willbeabletoupgradetoWindows10.
AnybodywithanXboxOneconsolewillgettheupgradeautomaticallyonitsrelease.TheXbox360consolewillnotbeupgradedtoWindows10.
WhatElseDoYouNeedtoKnow?Despitetheanswerstothemostcommonquestionsbeingrelativelystraightforward,noteverythingaboutupgradingormigratingtoWindows10isassimple,andthereareafewissuesandfeaturesofwhichyoullprobablywanttobeawarebeforeyoutaketheplunge.
UpgradingandtheStorageSpaceProblemThistalkofWindowsPhonesdoesraiseapricklysubject,thatofavailablestoragespace.Anybodywithalower-costWindowsPhonemightalreadyhaveexperiencedproblemstryingtoinstallOSupdateswherenotenoughfreespaceisavailableonthehandset.
IfyourphonehasaMicroSDcardslotandacardinserted,youcanopenSettingsandthenStorageSensetochangethedefaultstoragelocationforfiles,music,photos,andvideosandthedefaultinstalllocationforapps.
Aminimumamountofstoragespace,asyetundetermined,willberequiredfortheupgrade,andyoumayhavetouninstallsomeappstofreeupenoughspace.
TheproblemwillsimilarlyaffectsmallWindows8.1tablets,whichhaveverylimitedamountsofstorage,suchasjust16GBor32GB.Onceyouhavesomeappsinstalledtheamountofavailablespacecandropsharply.
TheWindows10upgradeprocessrequires5GBoffreespaceifyouinstallfrom
-
Windowsupdate,or8GBifyoudownloadtheISOfileandinstallfromthat.Youmayneedtouninstallappsorperformadiskcleanuptofreeupthenecessaryspace.Diskcleanup,however,doesntdeleteallthesettingsandconfigurationfilesforappsthatcanbuildupoveraperiodoftime.
Shouldthisbethecase,inPCSettings,intheUpdateandRecoverysection,youcanRefreshorResetyourtablet,whichwillfreeupthenecessaryspacetoallowyoutoinstallWindows10.
Additionally,Windows10includesaroll-backfeature,whichyoucanusetoreverttotheoperatingsystemversionyouhadonyourPCbeforeWindows10wasinstalled.ThiswilluseadditionalspaceinPCswithgood-sizedharddisks,butcanberemovedintheDiskCleanuptoolbyclickingtheCleanupsystemfilesbuttonandcheckingthePreviousWindowsInstallation(s)option.
RollingBackWindows10LetslooknowinmoredetailatthenewfeaturethatallowsyoutorollbacktheOStotheversionofWindowsyouwereusingbefore,bethisWindows7orWindows8.
NoteBecauseofthefundamentalarchitecturaldifferencesbetweenWindows10,Vista,andWindowsXP,itisunlikelythatthisoptionwillbeavailableforpeoplewhohaveupgradedinplacefromthoseearlierversionsofWindows.
ThisfeaturecanbefoundinthenewSettingspanel,whichwillamalgamatetheControlPanelandWindows8.1sPCSettingsintoasinglelocation.YoucanlaunchSettingsfromtheStartmenu,whereitislistedinthePlacessection(moreontheStartmenuinChapter4).
InSettings,clickUpdateandRecoveryandthenRecoveryfortheoptiontoGobacktoapreviousversionofWindows(seeFigure1-4).
-
Figure1-4.YoucanrollbacktoWindows7orWindows8.1shouldyouwish
Whywouldyouwanttodothis?YoumayfindthatsomepieceofsoftwareorhardwarethatiscriticaltoyourworkisfundamentallyincompatiblewithWindows10.OryoumayjustdecidethatyoudontliketheOS.
NoteItsworthnotingherethatWindows7willbecompletelyoutofsupportin2020,justfiveshortyearsfromnow.IfyouarestillusingWindows7atthattime,therewillbenomoresecurityandstabilitypatchesfortheOS,anditwillbecomeatargetformalwarewritersandhackers.
TheImprovedInstallationandUpdatingExperienceIfyouareupgradingtoWindows10,however,youllbedelightedtohearthattheupgradeexperiencehasbeendramaticallyimproved.
OnmyownPC,onwhichImwritingthisbook,IhavehugevolumesofMicrosoftandthird-partysoftwareinstalled,includingMicrosoftOffice,AdobeCreativeCloud,SonyVegasProSuite,acoupleofbiggamesincludingEliteDangerous,andmorebesides;myprogramsfoldersstandatawhopping95GB.
WithpreviousWindowsinstalls,themoresoftwareyouhadthelongertheupgrade
-
processwouldtake,aseverythingwasmigratedacross.ThisstillmightbethecasewhenupgradingfromsomeWindows7systems,andthisisaquestionthatMicrosofthasnotyetaddressed,butinWindows8thein-placeupgradetakesaroundtwentyminuteswhetheryouhavealotofsoftwarealreadyinstalledornot.
Additionally,majorupdatestoWindows10inthefuturewontrequirelongwaitsorevenhugedownloads.MicrosoftisbuildinganewupdatingsystemintoWindows10sothatonlythecomponentsthatrequireupdatingaredownloadedandinstalled,andeverythingthatdoesntneedtobetouchedisleftalone.
Theupshotofthisisthatthefullupdateforasystemmightbe3GBinsize,butlessthan1GBofthatupdateisactuallydownloadedandinstalled,astheother2GBoffileswouldremainthesameanyway.
Windows10,DifferentbyDeviceOfthequestionsthatareasyetunansweredaboutWindows10,oneofthemostsignificantisMicrosoftsstatementthatthefullWindows10experiencewillnotbeavailableoneverydevicethatrunstheOS.
InthistheyhavepointedtotabletsthatarecurrentlyrunningWindowsRTandsomelow-costWindowsPhones.Whathasbeensaidisthatupgradedhardwarewouldberequiredforsomefeaturesandasitsnotpossibletoupgradethehardwareintabletsandsmartphones,thesefeatureswillsimplynotbeavailableonalldevices.
Itsreasonabletospeculatethatthiswillincludesomeofthemoregraphics-intensivefeaturessuchasDirectX12.ThecoreWindows10experienceisunlikelytochange,noristhesynchronizationwithOneDrive.Cortanacouldbeoneofthefeatureslisted,however,dependingontheamountofprocessingpowerrequired,andsomeadditionalfeaturesthathaveyettobeannouncedmayrequirespecifichardwaretofunction.
NoDesktoponSmallerPCsOneofthecontentiousissuesfacingPCusersisthematterofthedesktop.OnWindowsRT-baseddevicesthedesktopserveslittlepurpose,asthesemachinesARMprocessorswontrunwin32desktopapplicationsanyway.Youcanaccessspecially-writtendesktopversionsofOutlook,Word,Excel,andPowerpointandaccesstheControlPanel,butthatsaboutit.
OthersmalltabletsrunningWindows8orWindows8ProthathaveanHDMIorothervideooutputcanbepluggedintoanexternalmonitorsoastousethedesktopwithafullBluetoothkeyboardandmouse.
Microsofthassaidthatondeviceswithaneight-inchscreenorsmallertherewillbenodesktopinWindows10atall,soyoullonlybeabletorunUniversalappsfromtheWindowsStore,andonlyfullscreenorsidebyside.ThismayaffectyourbuyingdecisionsforfutureWindowshardwareforexample,youmightpurchaseaten-inchtabletinsteadanditsanimportantconsiderationforWindows10users.
-
SummaryTherearealotofquestionsaboutWindows10,especiallywhenitcomestopricing,availability,andcompatibility,andhopefullyIveansweredsomeofyourmostpressingoneshere.
Thataside,therealexcitementaroundWindows10isinitsnewfeaturesforhomeusers,businesses,andgamers,andinthenextchapterIlltalkindepthabouteachoneandexplainwhattheywillmeantoyouandhowtheycanimproveyourPCexperienceandproductivity.
-
CHAPTER2
NewandImprovedFeaturesinWindows10EveryversionofWindowscomeswithnewfeatures:Windows95introducedtheStartMenu;WindowsXPsawtheOSmovetothemuchmorestableNTkernelaswellasbroughtinmajorrefinementstotheuserinterface;Vistacamewithsomemajorchanges,includingawholesalekernelupgrade,anewhardwaredrivermodel,anduseraccountcontrol;Windows7introducedaeroglass,snap,thenewTaskbar,andtheActionCenter;andWindows8introducedtheStartScreen,Modernapps,andtheadditionofARMprocessorsupport.
Windows10isnodifferent,andthelistofnewandimprovedfeaturesisbothlongandsignificant.Indeed,itcansafelybesaidthatthelistofnewfeaturesisthegreatestthatsbeenseeninanyWindowsreleasethusfar,andalmosttheentirefocusisbeingplacedfirmlyonproductivity.
Imnotgoingtodetaileveryimprovedfeatureandnewadditioninthischapter,asmanyofthemfallintocategoriesthataremuchbetterdetailedelsewhereinthisbookundermorespecificcategories,suchasend-userdesktopfeaturesorbusiness-specificfeatures.Therearesomemajorchangesandadditions,however,thatneedtobedetailedontheirown,andinthischapterIlllookattheminnoparticularorder.
CortanaOkay,Ilied!ImhugelyexcitedabouttheinclusionofCortanainWindows10,andthusithastobedetailedfirst.CortanaisMicrosoftsanswertoApplesSiriandGoogleNow,inthatitsapersonaldigitalassistant(originallytobecalledJudy,soImtold,thoughitsbetaname,takenfromtheAIcomputerintheHaloseriesofXboxgames,wassopopularwithWindowsPhonetestersthatMicrosoftkeptit).
CortanafirstappearedinWindowsPhone8.1in2014andhasbeenslowlyrollingouttocountriesworldwide.Cortanadoesmuchmorethananswerbasicsearchqueriesandprovidethelatestnewsandweatherupdates.AlreadyaheadofApplesSiriandGoogleNow,Cortanacanproviderecipesanddietaryinformation,automaticallyfollowparceltrackinginformationyouvebeenemailed,andmonitorflightsandothertravelmethods.She(IhatecallingCortanaIt)cansetandmodifyremindersandcalendarappointments,aswellassetremindersbasedonlocation,suchaswhenyougethomeorwhenyourenextinthecitycenter.Shecanprovideidlechitchat,singyousongs,tellyoujokes,andevenspeakKlingon.
ThisisthestateofCortanatoday,andherfunctionalityisbeingexpandedallthetime
-
withnewfeatures,someofwhich(suchasbeingabletobarkKlingonatyou)arentactivelypromotedbutweresimplyfoundaccidentallybyusers.
Sohowdoesallofthishelpmebecomemoreproductiveonthedesktop?youask.Youmight,forexample,workinabusyofficewheretalkingtoyourPCisnevergoingtobeeffective,oryourPCmightnotevenhaveamicrophone,oryoumayjustbeuncomfortablewiththeprospectofstrikingupaconversationwiththething.
TypingrequestsandcommandsintoCortanabringsthesamefunctionalityasspeakingtoher,andbeingabletoquicklyaskwhatappointmentsyouhaveinthecomingweek,ortohaveherrescheduleyour3oclockappointmentfor5,ortodictatetoheranemailforSueinAccountscansavevaluabletime.
CortanacanbefoundnexttotheWindowsiconontheWindows10desktopTaskbar(seeFigure2-1),andwillalsolikelybeaStartScreeniconontabletsinthefinalrelease.
Figure2-1.CortanasiconisacircleandislocatednexttotheWindowsbuttonontheTaskbar
NoteItslikelythatCortanawillnotbeavailableineverycountryonWindows10slaunch,andthisiscertainlythecasewiththetechnicalpreview.IfCortanaisnotavailabletoyouyet,youwillinsteadseeasearch(magnifyingglass)iconnexttotheWindowsicon.
WhenyouopenCortanayouwillbepresentedwithinformationthatsrelevanttoyou(seeFigure2-2).AnAskmeanythingboxatthebottomofherwindowiswhereyoucantypecommands,searchrequests,andmore,andnexttothisisamicrophoneiconthatyoucanclicktoenableyoutospeaktoher.
-
Figure2-2.Bydefault,Cortanawillshowyouinformationthatsrelevanttoyou
YouwillalsobeabletoactivateCortanabysimplysayingHey,Cortanawhileatyourcomputer,thoughwiththisfeaturealsoreportedtobecomingtoWindows10forPhonesitremainstobeseenhowitllworkshouldyoualsohaveyourphoneonyourdeskwhenyousaythis.
IwanttodealwithsearchfirstinCortana,asthesearchfeaturethatCortanabringstoWindowsisasignificantimprovementoverpreviousWindowsversions.WhentypingintotheAskmeanythingbox,searchresultsareimmediatelydisplayedandwillincludeinstalledappsandwin32desktopprograms,photos,music,video,documents,emails,settings,andwebsites(seeFigure2-3).
-
Figure2-3.SearchrespondsimmediatelywhentypingintoCortana
Youcanclickanyiteminthesesearchresultstoopenit,or,alternatively,clickingSearchmystuff(orjustpressingtheEnterkey)willdisplayamoredetailedcontextualsearchbox(seeFigure2-4).
-
Figure2-4.Searchmystuffprovidesamoredetailed,contextualsearch
ItswiththiscontextualsearchboxthatthetruepowerofsearchinWindows10isrevealed.Theboxcontainsatabbedinterface,allowingyoutoeasilyandquicklyswitchyoursearchbetweendocuments,apps,settings,photos,videos,music,email,andtheInternet.
ThissearchfacilitycombinesthosefoundinFileExplorerandtheStartMenuandimprovesonbothwhilegreatlysimplifyingtheoverallprocess.
ManagingCortanasSettingsandPrivacyYoucanmanageCortanassettingsandoptionsveryeasilybyclickingthehamburgericon(socalledbecauseitconsistsofthreehorizontallines)inthetopleftofCortanaswindow.Hereyoucanmanageanyremindersyouhaveset(seeFigure2-5)andanyplacesyouwantCortanatoknowabout(shouldyoubeusingalaptoportablet),aswellaschangeoverallsettings,suchasallowingCortanatocallyoubyyournameandeventurningthefeatureoffaltogether.
-
Figure2-5.Cortanasoptionsareeasytofindandaccess
Inthisageofpersonalprivacy,dataprotection,andgovernmentspying,someofyoumightbeuncomfortablewithCortanahavingaccesstoallofyouremailsandotherpersonalinformation.Cortanaisdesignedtosoakupallthisinformationandlearnmoreaboutyouovertimetomakehermoreeffective.
OneofMicrosoftsthreepillarsforWindows10wasputtingtheuserfirmlyincontroloftheirowndataandtheirownprivacy,andCortanaisnoexception.TheinformationyouchoosetoshareaboutyourselfismanagedinCortanasNotebook(seeFigure2-6).
-
Figure2-6.TheNotebookiswhereyoumanagewhichinformationyoushare
Here,youcanmanageallthedatathatCortanastoresaboutyou,includingyournewspreferences,calendaraccess,whetherCortanaisallowedtoreadyouremailsforparceltrackingandflightdetails,andmuchmorebesides.
TheNotebookisntjustaboutyourprivacy,however;addingandrefiningtheinformationthatsherecanhelpCortanaprovideyouwithmorerelevantnewsandinformation,thusreducingtheneedtousenewsandweatherappsorwebsites.
-
ThatSyncingFeelingThoseofyouwhohavebeenusingWindows8.1withaMicrosoftaccountwilllikelybeusedtotheOSsyncingyoursettingsandpreferencesbetweenPCs.Forexample,ifyoupurchaseanewtabletandloginusingthesameMicrosoftAccountIDthatyouuseonyourdesktop,youllseeyourStartScreenandappsarejustastheyareonthatfirstmachine.
SyncingisbeingextendedevenfurtherinWindows10,allowingCortanaonyourdifferentPCs,tablets,andphonesoastoshareinformationwithoneanother.Thisincludesyourreminders,soyoullnevermissonejustbecauseyouhappentobeawayfromthePCyousetiton,andmorebesides.
SyncingbetweendifferentdevicescanbemanagedbothfromwithinCortanaherselfandfromthenewAllSettingspanel,whichreplacestheControlPanelandPCSettings.
ManagingDifferentFormFactorswithContinuumOneofthebiggestcriticismsofWindows8wasthatpeoplefoundthetransitionfromtheStartScreentotheDesktopjarring.Windows8.1madesomeefforttoreducethisbyallowingyourdesktopwallpapertobeusedfortheStartScreen,butWindows10handlesthingsmuchmoreeffectivelythroughtheuseofanewfeaturecalledContinuum.
Continuumworksintwoseparateways:first,itallowsyoutoresizetheStartMenubetweenitsdesktopandfull-screenoptions(seetheiconinthetoprightoftheStartMenuinFigure2-7),and,second,itallowsyoutoautomaticallyswitchbetweendesktopandfull-screenmodesonconvertibledevices.
-
Figure2-7.OneclickcanresizetheStartMenu
Ifyouareusingaconvertiblelaptop,suchastheLenovoYoga,andyouswitchthePCintoitstabletform-factor,thenasystemtraynotificationwillbedisplayedaskingifyouwishtoswitchtofull-screenmode(alongwithadontaskmethisagaincheckbox).
AllowingthischangewillautomaticallyswitchallyourappsandtheStartMenutofull-screenmode,alongwithmakingsomeadditionalchanges,suchasspacingoutsomeUIelementstomakethemeasiertohitwithafinger.
ContinuumalsoworkswithtabletsthathaveBluetoothkeyboardsattached,andyoucanswitchmanuallybetweendesktopandtabletmodesintheAllSettingspanel(itisexpectedthatanotificationareabuttonwillalsobeinthefinalrelease).
TheNotificationCenterSpeakingofthenewNotificationCenter,youmayalreadybefamiliarwiththeseinWindowsPhone8.1aswellasonothersmartphoneplatforms,suchasAndroidandiOS,andevenontheAppleOSXdesktop.Well,nowtheNotificationCenterhascometo
-
Windows.NotificationsinWindowshavelongsufferedfromtwoproblems.First,withWindows
XPpeoplecomplainedthatnotificationsappearedfartoooftenandweregenerallyannoying.Thesecondproblemwasthateachnotificationwouldonlyappearforafewsecondsbeforedisappearingforever.
WithWindows7,MicrosoftsoughttopartiallyrectifythisproblembyincludingsomenotificationsinthenewActionCenter.Thisincludedsecurityandtroubleshootingalerts,butdidntgosofarastoaddnotificationsforappointments,email,andthelike.
Well,theActionCenterhasbeenremovedfromtheTaskbarwithWindows10andhasbeenreplacedbythenewNotificationCenter(seeFigure2-8).
Figure2-8.TheWindows10NotificationCenter
Itisherethatalistofallyournotificationswillappear,andstay,untilclearedmanuallybyyourselforuntilpushedasideshouldthelistbecomefull.EachnotificationinthefinalreleaseofWindows10willrespondindifferentwaystovariousactions,includingbeingdismissedbyaswipetotheright.
Atthebottomofthenotificationcenterarequick-linkbuttonsthatperformspecific
-
tasks.InFigure2-8theseincludeabuttontoactivatetheContinuumfeaturethatswitchesbetweendesktopandtabletmodes,aWi-Fion/offbutton,anetworkconnectionbutton,andaquicklinktothenewAllSettingspanel.
JustaswithWindowsPhone8.1,thesebuttonswillbeconfigurableinthefinalreleaseofWindows10andareexpectedtoincludethefeaturesalreadyfoundinthephoneOS,suchasQuietHourstohidenotificationsandsilencealarms,alongsidePC-specificoptionssuchastogglingGPSandlocationservicesorturningCortanaonandoff.
Windows10willstillpermitToastnotificationstoappearonyourscreen,socalledbecausetheypopup,andthesewillappearinthebottomrightofyourscreen.Shouldyouchoosetoturntoastsoffforspecificapps,however,suchasthoseforyouremailclient,youwillstillbeabletogetnotificationsinthenewNotificationCenter.
YoucanopentheNotificationCenterbyclickingitsiconontheTaskbarorbyswipinginwardsfromtherightofyourscreen,theactionthatusedtodisplaythenowremovedCharms.
IntegratingYourPC(s)andPhoneDoyourememberthedayswhenaPCwasstand-alonemachine,andifyouwantedtomovefilestoanotherPCyouhadtocopythemtoremovablestoragesuchasaCDorfloppydiskfirst?
Backthen,ifyougotanewPCyouhadtochangeallyoursettingsmanuallyonthenewmachine,orreprogramallyourphonenumbersintoanewphone.Infact,itsonlyinthelastfewyearsthatthishaschanged,anditallstartedwithWindows8.
Somesmartphoneoperatingsystems,suchasiOS,wouldalreadyallowyoutobackupyourphonessettingssothatifyougotanewphone,perhapsbecauseyoursbroke,youcouldreinstatethosesettingsquicklyandeasily.
TherewerealsowebbrowserssuchasGoogleChromethatwouldallowyoutosynchronizeyourfavoritesbetweendifferentPCs.
Windows8tookthingsastepfurther,however,byallowingyoutosynchronizeyourStartScreencolorandlayout,includinginstalledapps,desktopcolor-scheme,easeofaccesssettings,InternetFavorites,andmorebetweenmultiplePCs.
Windows8.1andWindowsPhone8.1tookthisyetastepfurther,helpingyoutosynchronizewebsiteusernamesandpasswordsbetweenPCsandphone.
ThentherewastheintegrationofMicrosoftscloudbackupservice,OneDrive,sothatyoucouldnotonlysynchronizeyourfilesanddocumentsbetweendevices,butchoosewhichoneswerestoredlocallyoneachindividualmachine(usefulforUltrabooksandtabletswithonlysmallamountsoflocalstorage).
Windows10takesthistothelogicalconclusionbyallowingsyncingofremindersandnotificationcenteritems(includingwhichoneshavebeendismissed).
AswithCortana,andindeedeveryaspectofWindows10,youcancontrolallaspects
-
oftheinformationthatssyncedintheAllSettingspanel(seeFigure2-9).
Figure2-9.YoucanchoosewhattosyncinWIndows10
MicrosoftOfficeforWindows10WhenWindows8launchedwithitsmodernappframework,manywonderedwhentouch-enabledversionsofMicrosoftsOfficesuitewouldbecomeavailablefortheplatform.Indeed,inthethreeyearsthatfollowed,bothiOSandAndroidversionsofWord,Excel,PowerPoint,andOutlookappeared,firstforasubscriptionchargeandthenforfree.Throughoutallthistime,however,theonlyMicrosoftOfficeprogramtogetitsownModernappwasOneNote.
Asyoumightexpect,thisisbeingrectifiedwiththelaunchofWindows10withModernapps(nowcalledUniversalapps)availableforthefirsttimeforWord(seeFigure2-10),Excel,PowerPoint,Outlook,and,onceagain,OneNote.
-
Figure2-10.TheMicrosoftWorduniversalappforWIndows10andWindows10forPhone
Therearestillsomeunansweredquestionsaboutoverallavailabilityandpricing,however.OfficeisoneofMicrosoftsbiggestearners,andtheirOffice365subscriptionserviceprovedconclusivelythatsubscription-modelsoftwarewouldworkasaneffectivedeliveryandmanagementmethod.
MicrosofthassaidthatallWindows10deviceswithscreenslessthaneightinches,whichwillincludeallphonesandphablets,willgettheseOfficeappspreinstalledforfree.
ItsveryunlikelythatusersofWindows10tablets,laptops,anddesktopswithscreenslargerthaneightincheswillbeunabletogettheapps.Thoughpricinghasntyetbeendiscussed,itsentirelypossibletheywillbefreetoinstallanduse.
IfyoualreadyhaveanOffice365subscription,thenchancesaregoodthatyouwillgettheappsforfreeonallthedevicesonwhichyoucanuseyourOffice365account,evenifthereisachargeintheWindowsStorefortheapps.
-
Figure2-11.TheMicrosoftExceluniversalapp
EachOfficeappusesatrimmedversionoftheOfficeRibboninterface,whichwasfirstseeninOffice2007,andeachribbonincludesasubsetofthefunctionalityfoundinthefulldesktopversionsoftheapps.
InWindows10forPhones,theribboniscondensedintoamenudisplayedbyhittingthemenu(threedots)iconinthebottomrightofthescreen.
TheOfficeappsfunctionalityissimilartothatseeninthefreeweb-basedversionsoftheseproducts,andtheappsoperateinasimilarway.WhatImeanbythisisthattheweb-basedversionsofWord,Excel,andPowerPointdisplayallaspectsofthedocumentsthatareopenedinthemcorrectly,eveniftheydontnativelysupportallofthefeaturesthatcontrolthoseaspects(suchascommenting,forexample).
Spartan!Spartanisthenewwebbrowserwiththecoolname,oratleastacoolbetanamefornow.ItsbeenreportedthatMicrosofthasbeenconsideringseveraloptionsforafinalname,includingEntourage,Elixa,Evo,Evex,Endeavor,andEdge,butthatmanyWindows10InsidersfavorthenameSpartan(asdoI,frankly).Itcouldbethecasethat,aswithCortana,thebetanamesticks.
SowhywouldMicrosoftbundleabrandnewbrowserwithWindows10,andwhatdoesthismeanforInternetExplorer,especiallyforbusinessesthatrelyonitscompatibilitywitholderplug-insandintranetsites?
TherehasbeenmuchmisinformationwrittenontechblogsaboutwhatSpartanmeansforIEusers,soweshouldprobablydealwiththisfirst.
WhileitssofarunclearwhetherIEwillbeincludedintheHomeeditionofWindows
-
10,itwilldefinitelybeincludedintheProandEnterpriseeditions,asmanybusinessessimplycantlivewithoutit.
IEwillnotbeavailableonWindows10deviceswithscreensofeightinchesorless.ThisisbecauseSpartanwillbereplacingtheModernIEversionfromWindows8.1,anddeviceswithscreensofeightinchesorlesswontsupportthedesktopenvironment.
SowhatisSpartan?Simplyput,Spartanisamodern,up-to-dateInternetbrowserthatsupportsallthelatestwebstandardsandthatisbuilttobefast.InternetExplorerhaslostsignificantgroundtoMozillaFirefoxandGoogleChromeinrecentyearsbecauseitsneedtomaintaincompatibilitywitholderwebsites,intranets,andplug-inshasmadeitslowandbaggy.
Figure2-12.ThenewSpartanwebbrowser
Spartanwontbecomplexlystrippedback,however.Microsofthasconfirmedthatitwillsupportplug-ins,whichisgreatnewsforpeoplewhouseadvertblockersorotherutilities.Itsnotyetbeenstatedwhethertheseplug-inswillneedtobecreatedspecificallyforSpartan,assomehavespeculatedthatMicrosoftmaysupportplug-inscreatedforGooglesChromebrowser.
MicrosoftisaimingtomakeSpartanmorethanjustawebbrowser,however.AttheirJanuary2015Windows10eventtheyshowedoffsomeofthefeaturestheyllbebringingtothebrowser.Theseincludetheabilitytowriteortypenotesonawebpageandannotateitwithhighlightsanddrawnlines.Theseannotatedpagescanthenbelockedsothattheircontentwontupdateasthewebsitechanges,andcanbesharedeasilywithotherpeople.
FulldetailsofSpartanarethinonthegroundasIwritethis,andapublicbuildcurrentlyisntavailable.Wecanbereasonablycertainthatthenote-takingandannotationfacilitiesinthebrowserwontbethelastofthenewfeatures.
WhatwedoknowisthatthenewrenderingengineforthebrowserisbuiltintothecurrentversionofIEintheWindows10TechnicalPreview,andthatyoucanturnitonbytypingabout:flagsintotheaddressbarandactivatingEnableExperimentalWebPlatformFeatures.Browserspeedtestshavealreadybeenperformedonthisnew,unfinishedrenderingengineanditsshowninsometeststobethefastestbrowser-renderingengine
-
currentlyavailable.
DawnoftheUniversalAppOneofthebiggestcomplaintsabouttheappstoreinWindows8.1isthatyouhadtopurchaseandinstalldifferentappsforWindows8.1andforWindowsPhone.ThiswasntaproblemwithiOSandAndroidphonesandtablets,whichallsharedthesameOS,butitgreatlyannoyedmanyWindowsusersanddeveloperswhoresentedhavingtobuyorcreatetwoappsinsteadofone.
ThatwasbackwhenWindowsandWindowsPhonewereseparateoperatingsystems,butnowWindows10willbethesameOSacrossalldevices,includingInternetofThings(IoT)devicesandtheXboxOne.
ThismeansthatdevelopersarealreadywritingwhatMicrosoftarecallingUniversalAppsforWindows8.1andWindowsPhone8.1,andthesewillalsoworkonWindows10.
ThereareafewchangescomingtothewayweinteractwithappsinWindows10,however.ImentionedearlierinthischapterthattheCharmsmenufromWindows8wasgone,butyoustillneedtobeabletoaccessfunctionslikeSearch,Share,andSettingsforindividualapps.Togetaroundthisproblem,theCharmshavenowmovedwithineachapptoahamburgermenuinthetopleftoftheapp(eitherwindowedonthedesktoporfull-screen).HereyoucanaccesstheCharmsandalsothe()appcommandsmenu(sometimesknownastheappbar)(seeFigure2-13).
-
Figure2-13.TheCharmshavemovedforUniversalAppsinWindows10
Inthetoprightoftheapp,nestledinwiththeminimize,maximize,andclosebuttons,isanewbuttonthatwilltoggletheappbetweenfull-screenandwindowedmodes.ThisisforthosewhowishtouseUniversalAppsonthedesktopwithakeyboardandmouse.
NoteItsbeenconfirmedthatsomeUniversalAppswillcomewithaBackbuttonintheirtopleftcorner.Thiswillappearwhereitisappropriatewithinappsandwillaidinmovingtopreviouspageswithintheapp.
RevampedWindowsAppStoreMicrosofthasalsorevampedtheWindowsStore(seeFigure2-14)andhasstatedthatforWindows10itwillalsoincludedesktopprogramsandotherdigitalcontent,whichmightincludemusic,video,andXboxgames.
-
Figure2-14.TheWindowsStoreinWindows10
WhatdesktopsoftwarewillappearintheWindowsStoreremainstobeseen,asMicrosoftchargesaroyaltyforeveryappsold,andassuchthelargesoftwarehouseslikeAdobeandSonyareunlikelytowantpartoftheirrevenuetakenbyMicrosoft.
NoteDesktopsoftwarealreadyfeaturesintheWindowsStoreinWindows8.1,butonlylinkstothedeveloperswebsitearesupported.Windows10willallowyoutodownloadandinstalldesktopsoftwaredirectlyfromthestore.
Forsmallersoftwarehouses,however,beingabletoincludetheirdesktopappsintheWindowsStorewillgreatlyaiddiscoverability,anditwillhelpreassureWindowsusersthatthesoftwaretheyaredownloadingisgenuineandnotloadedwithmalware.
MicrosofthasalsosaidthatWindowsStorefunctionalitywillbeavailableforbusinessesthroughMicrosoftAzure.CompanieswillbeabletosetuptheirowncompanystoresthatcontainbothbespokeappsandtheirchoicesofappsfromthemainWindowsStore.
Summary
-
InthischapterIvedetailedsomeofthemajornewfeaturesandchangescomingtoWindows10,andIthinkyoullagreetheyreallprettysignificant.InlaterchaptersIlllookatmanymorefeaturesthatarespecifictodesktopusers,productivity,andbusinessesinmoredetail.
Beforethat,however,welllookatwhatishappeningtoWindows10awayfromthePConsmartphones,theXboxOnegameconsole,IoTdevicessuchassmartTVs,andmorebesides.
-
CHAPTER3
Windows10forPhoneandOtherDevicesIfyourememberthedayswhenyouhadadifferentoperatingsystemoneverydevice,andwhenonedidnttalktoanyother,thenyoullprobablyalsorememberhowfrustratingitcouldbe.Whetheryouhadtoprintoutallyourcontactsandmanuallyenterthemintoanewphone,oryoudidnothaveaccesstorecentemailsonalaptopbecausetheydalreadybeendownloadedusingPOPtoyourmainPC,thegoldenageofcomputingcouldbeapain.
Fortunately,thingsarenowverydifferent,butperhapsnotforthebetter.Technologyhasmovedinadirectionthatsomepeoplefeelhasleftuswithfewerfreedoms.OftenIhearpeopletalkofthetechcompanylock-in.WhetherthisiswithApple,Google,orMicrosoft,theyallhaveoperatingsystemsandecosystemsofonlineservicesintendedtogettoyoustayexclusivelywiththem.
Formanypeoplethelock-incanbeannoying,especiallyifyougetboredofonesmartphonesystemandfancymoving,forexample,fromAndroidtothenewiPhone.Suddenlyyouhavetobuyallyourappsagain,andperhapsevenabandontheonlineservicesyouvebeenusing.
Idontmindthelockin,forseveralreasons.ChiefamongtheseisthattheintegrationbetweenMicrosoftsserviceshasalwaysbeenexcellent,andthequalityofthoseservicesisstillhigheronaveragethanthatofservicesofferedbyGoogleandApple.
TakeOneDriveandOffice365,forexample.TheyreembeddeddeeplyinallMicrosoftproducts,andinadditiontobeingusefulservicesintheirownright,theyactasbridgesbetweendifferentMicrosoftdevicesandplatforms,suchasPCs,tablets,andphones.
WithWindows10,Microsoftistakingthisintegrationtothenextlevel.Theycandothisbecausethesamecoreoperatingsystemwillberunningonnotjustalloftheirowndevices,suchasPCs,tablets,phones,andtheXbox,butalsoextendingoutwardstoInternetofThings(IoT)devicessuchastheRaspberryPi.
Inthischapterthen,welllookattheecosystemoutsideofthePCtoseewhereyouwillfindWindows10andwhatitsinclusionondifferentdeviceswillmeanforusability,accessibility,andproductivity.
Windows10forPhoneImentionedearlierthattherewereseveralreasonswhyIdidntmindtheMicrosoftlock-in,andWindowsPhoneisdefinitelyupthereasatopreason.ImnotanappguyandhavealwaysviewedAppleandGooglesapproachoffillingthefrontscreenoftheirdevices
-
withiconsasjustawaytopushyouintobuyingappsyoudontneed.Googleswidgetsareavaluablestepforward,buttheLiveTileswesawfirstwith
WindowsPhonearejustfantastic.Manyofyouwillagree,Imsure,thatbeingabletocheckwhatthatlatestemailorFacebookpostis,orlookatthecurrentweatherornewswithjustaglanceisagreattime(andbattery)saver.
YoullbepleasedtohearthatMicrosofthasntfiddledwithanyofthisfunctionalityinWindows10forPhone,andindeedtheymaystillbeexpandingit.
Youmighthaveseena(quicklywithdrawn)videofromMicrosoftResearchintheFarEastin2014thatshowedLiveTilesthatcouldbeexpandedintoafullapp,rightontheWindowsStartScreen.Thisenabledpeopletobeabletoopen,forinstance,acalculatorquicklyandwithouthavingtowaittoloadtheapp.IsincerelyhopethatMicrosoftbuildsthisfunctionalityintoWindows10andWindows10forPhone.
WhatMicrosofthasdone,however,istakeallofthestrengthsofWindowsPhoneandexpandedonthem.YoumayalreadybefamiliarwithsomeofthisfunctionalityifyouvebeenusingthelatestWindowsPhone8.1builds,whichincludeCortana.CortanainWindows10forPhoneworksexactlyasitdoesonthedesktop,asIdetailedinChapter2.
TheNotificationCenterWindowsPhone8.1introducedustoanotificationcenteronaWindowsdeviceforthefirsttime.ItwasacentralstoreforallmessagesandinformationfromtheOS,youremail,messagingfeatures,andinstalledapps.Inaddition,theNotificationCenterallowedyoutopinanumberofquick-actionbuttonstothetopofyourscreen,suchasWi-Fion/offandtheQuietHoursfeature,whichsilencesnotificationsandaudioandcanoptionallysendatextmessagetoanyonewhocalledortextedyoutotellthemyouwerebusy.
Windows10forPhoneexpandsnotificationsandtheNotificationCenterinseveralways.Thefirstandperhapsthemostprominentwayisthatyoucannowpinmanymorequick-actionbuttonstothetopofthecenter(seeFigure3-1).
-
Figure3-1.Youcanpinmorequick-actionbuttonstotheNotificationCenterinWindows10forPhones
DependingonthesizeofthescreenonyourexistingWindowsPhone,thenumberofpinableiconscanbelimited.OnmyownLumia1020Icanonlyhavefour,andwouldlikeextras.
Youwillonlyseethetoprowofbuttons,perhapsyourmostcommonlyusedones,whenopeningtheNotificationCenter,butanexpand/collapselinktothebottomrightoftheiconswillallowyoutodisplayallthepinnedquick-actionbuttons.
Thisexpand/collapsefunctionalityhasbeenincludedinotheraspectsofnotificationstoo.Allofthenotificationsthatappearcanbeinteractedwithinseveralnewways,asfollows.
Youcanexpandnotificationstoreadmoredetailsaboutthem,whichisusefulforaweatheralertoremailthatistruncatedbybeinglimitedtoonelineonyourphonesscreen.
Somenotificationswillhaveinteractionbuttonsthatallowyoutoperformactionswithouthavingtofirstentertheapptodoso,suchasdismissinganalarmorreplyingtoatextmessage.Thisfunctionality
-
willrequirein-appsupportsoitwontbeuniversallyavailable.JustasyoucouldswipeatoastnotificationawayinWindows8and8.1,Windows10forPhoneallowsyoutoquicklyswiperighttoclearanotification.Itsalsoexpectedthatatwo-fingerswipewillletyouclearallyournotificationsinoneaction.
Figure3-2.Youcaninteractwithtoastswithouthavingtoopentheapp
Whentoastnotificationsappearonyourscreen,perhapstoalertyoutoanewincomingmessage,email,orFacebookpost,youcaninteractwiththesemessagesdirectlyfromwithinthetoast.Agoodexampleofthisisbeingabletoreadatextmessageinthetoastandreply,thereandthen,withoutfirsthavingtoenterthemessagingapp.Othertoastswillincludebuttonsandothercontrolsthatallowyoutointeractwiththetoastordismissit,suchaswithanalarm.
NoteAnotherusefulfeaturewithnotificationsisthat,shouldyouturnyourphoneoff,itllgiveyouanincaseyouforgotmessagewithanyupcomingappointmentsorremindersyouhaveset.
-
EnhancedKeyboardTheon-screenkeyboardinWindows8.1andWindowsPhonehasalwayshadsomeextremelyusefulandoftenhiddenfunctionality,suchbeingabletotapandholdonalettertodisplayitsforeignequivalents,includingaccentedcharacters.However,theon-screenkeyboardinWindows10hasbeengreatlyenhancedandexpanded.Forexample,ondesktop,laptop,andtabletPCsitnowfeaturespredictivetext,allowingyoutocreatemessagesmorequickly,asitintelligentlypredictswhatwordyourelikelytotypenext.
Theon-screenkeyboardinWindows10forPhoneshasbeenenhancedintwosignificantways.First,youcangrabthekeyboardanddragittotheleftorrightsideofthescreen.Thiswillbeusefulforpeopleusinglarger-screenedphonesorphablets.
Additionally,anewmicrophoneiconisnowdisplayedabovethekeyboard,allowingyoutodictatewhatyouwanttowriteinsteadoftypingit.MicrosofthasmadegreatstrideswiththeirvoicerecognitiontechnologyinrecentyearsandhasfurtherrefineditsabilitiesinWindows10forPhone.Forexample,thisnewtext-to-speechfeatureallowsyoutodictateintovirtuallyanytextfieldintheOSorapp.
Enhancementstogrammarandspellingalgorithmsnowmeanthatyoursmartphonecanfillinthecorrectgrammarforyourparticularusageautomaticallyandtellwhenyoumeantouseaparticularhomophone,suchassayingtooinsteadoftwo.
Finally,andthiswillbegreatnewstoallfansofLenovoslaptops,theWindows10forPhonekeyboardincludesacursornipple(seeFigure3-3).
Figure3-3.ThephonekeyboardnowincludesaLenovo-stylecursornipple
OneofthebiggestcriticismswiththeWindowsPhonekeyboardhasbeentheproblemsyoufacetryingtochangeaspecificcharacterinthemiddleofaword,withthewholewordoftenhavingtoberetyped.Thisnewnipple,whichcanbeseeninthebottomleftcornerofthekeyboard,nowactsasadraggablecursor,enablingyoutomoveinfourdirectionstowhereveryouneedtobeinyourtext.
CustomizationOneofthebiggeststrengthsoftheWindowsoperatingsystem,andaprimaryreasonfor
-
itssuccessoverthelastthirtyyears,isthatitsalwaysbeenthemostconfigurableandcustomizableoperatingsystemavailable.NomatterwhatitisyouwanttochangeinWindows,fromskinningtheOStotweakingRegistrykeys,ithasbeenpossibletoachieve,andentirethird-partyindustrieshavegrownuptosupportthis.
CustomizationwasverylatetocometoWindowsPhone,however,andthereweregoodreasonsforit.AsmartphoneOSisntthesameasoneonthedesktop,whereyoucansaveRestorePointsorafactorybackupimage,orjustbootfromaDVDandreinstalleverythingfromscratch.
Smartphoneshaveverylimitedstorageandconnectionpotential,butperhapsmorecritically,theytapdirectlyintoourbankaccountsandotherpaymentsystemsinawayourPCslikelyneverwill.Onyoursmartphoneyoucanquicklyrunupenormousbillsifyoucreateanecosysteminwhichmalwarecansurreptitiouslysendtextmessagesortrickyouintomakinginternationalphonecalls.Consequently,permittingappstochangelow-levelOSsettingsandfeaturesonasmartphonecancreateasecurityriskfarmoreeasily,andpossiblymuchmoreseriously,thanonadesktopPC.
Inevitablyhowever,customizationoptionsbegantoappear,andbythetimeofWindows8.1wehadLiveTilebackgroundsandnewcolorschemes.
Windows10forPhonesnaturallyexpandsthisfunctionality,primarilyprovidingtheabilitytoatlastsetafullwallpaperforyourStartscreen.Thissitsinthebackgroundinsteadofinsidethetiles(seeFigure3-4).
-
Figure3-4.Youcansetfull-backgroundwallpapersinWindows10forPhone
Additionally,Tilescannowbetransparentsothatthewallpaperwillpartiallyshowthrough.Shouldyouprefer,on-LiveTilewallpaperoptionsalsoexistthatwillplacethewallpaperimageontheTilesthemselves,ratherthanonthebackground.
Noneofthismeanswecanchangethetypefacesorotheradvancedcustomizationfeaturesofourhandsets,buttheyreaverywelcomestepintherightdirection.
BetterOrganizedSettingsIfyouveusedaWindowsPhoneuptothispointthenyoullknowthatthephoneSettingswereajumbledmess.Thiswasnthelpedbythird-partycompaniessuchasNokiabeingabletoinjecttheirownadditionaloptionsinthemainSettingsmenu.WithWindows10forPhonethishasbeenrationalizedandbroughtinsyncwiththenewSettingspanelonPCsandtablets(seeFigure3-5).
-
Figure3-5.SettingsinWindows10forPhonearemuchimproved
Themorecomplicatedsmartphoneoperatingsystemsget,themoredifficultitcanbetofindwhatyouneed.Anewcategory-basedapproachhelpsyouquicklyfindthesettingsonthephonethatyourelookingfor.ThisnewviewhelpsrationalizetheOSandgenerallyimprovesthewholeconfigurationexperience.
AdditionalImprovementsinWindows10forPhoneWhilenotallofthefinalfeaturesandenhancementsinWindows10forPhonehavebeenrevealed,therearealreadysomecompellingimprovementsandadditions.Illdetailthemhereinnoparticularorder,exceptfortheoneIfeelismostwelcome.
Likemanysmartphoneusers,IusetheAlarmsappalot,almosteveryday,infact,whichmustmakeitmymost-usedappafteremail,messaging,andFacebook.IwasdelightedtoseethatitsbeenenhancedinWindows10forPhonewiththeadditionofatimer,stopwatch,andworldclock(seeFigure3-6).
-
Figure3-6.TheAlarmsappnowfeaturestimersandaworldclock
Thisworldclockisntlikeanybasicworldclockappeither,asgenuinethoughthasgoneintoitsimplementation.AswellasbeingabletoseewhatthetimeisinSeattleandNewYork(whereMicrosoftandmypublisherscanbefound),youcannowcomparedifferenttimesfordifferentcitiesaroundtheworld.Thismightsoundlikeonlyamoderatelyusefulfeature,butitsamazinghowdifficulttheinformationcanbetogetwhenyoudoneedit.
WhenWindowsPhonefirstlaunched,wecouldstorefilesonourphonesandopenthemusingthebuilt-inOfficeandPDFapps.However,ittooksometimeforanactualFileExplorerapptobereleasedbyMicrosoft,andthenitwasadownloadableextra.
Now,afullFileExplorerhasbeenincludedinWindows10forPhones,allowingustobetterorganizeourcollectionsoffiles,documents,music,videos,andphotos(seeFigure3-7).
-
Figure3-7.TheFileExplorerappisnowpartoftheOS
TheCalculatorapphasbeenenhancedwiththetoolsweneedwhilewereonthemove,suchasfullscientificandprogrammermodes,andeveryformofconversioncalculationyoucanthinkof,exceptforcurrencies(seeFigure3-8).
-
Figure3-8.TheenhancedCalculatorapp
TheresalsoanewSoundRecorderapp,whichmanywillfindusefulfornote-takingorinmeetingsandlectures.
Microsoftsheadlineappsofar,however,isPhotos.Justlikeitsdesktopcousin,itsbeenenhancedtoautomaticallyaggregateallthephotosyouhavestoredonyourvariousWindows10devicesandcloudservices,suchasOneDrive.
AlsoliketheWindows10desktopapp,photoscanbegroupedanddisplayedindifferentways,suchasbydate,location,orthepeopleincluded(seeFigure3-9).
-
Figure3-9.ThenewPhotosapp
Thesefeaturesareintelligentand,againlikethedesktopapp,canhelpyoufindallyourphotostakeninaspecificlocation,say,Austria,byusingmetadatasuchasdatetakenandgeotagging.ItcanalsousefacerecognitiontofindallthephotosofyourfriendPhil.
SoWhatsinItforBusinesses?AllofthenewandenhancedfeaturesinWindows10forPhonethatIvedetailedsofarareaimedatmakingiteasiertouseandconfiguretheOSforconsumers,butbusinessesarecertainlynotleftout.ThisisWindows10,andthatmeans,forthefirsttime,everysecurityandmanageabilityfeaturethatsavailableinthedesktopversionoftheOSisalsoavailablehere.TheremightnotbeaGroupPolicyapp,butfullmanagementofWindows10phonesisavailableinWindowsServer.
Crucially,allofthenewandenhancedsecurityfeaturesinWindows10willbeavailableonphones,andBringYourOwnDevice(BYOD)manageabilityisincludedtoo.YoucanfindoutaboutallthenewandenhancedbusinessandsecurityfeaturesavailableforbusinessesinWindows10whenyoureadchapters5and6.
-
XboxOneWhenMicrosoftsaidthatWindows10wouldbeoneOSforeverydeviceinyourlife,theywerentkidding.IlltalklaterinthischapterabouttheInternetofThings,butoneofthedevicesrunningWindows10thatyourelikelytohaveisanXboxOnegamesconsole.
ItmakessenseforMicrosofttoportWindows10totheXboxOneconsole(itwontbeportedtotheXbox360),ifonlyforreasonsofsecurityandmanageability.ItsmuchcheaperforanycompanytofixsecurityandstabilityflawsonasingleOSplatformthanacrossmany,especiallywhentheyhavesomuchincommontobeginwith.
WevenotyetseenthenewXboxenvironmentforWindows10inanydetail,buteverythingyouvereadhereaboutanintegratedSettingsenvironmentanduniversalappswillapply.Universalappsareagoodcaseinpoint,astheyllbeabletorunonyourXboxinthesamewaytheyrunonyourphone,PC,andtablet.ThisoffersnewopportunitiesforgaminginWindows10.Youmight,forexample,haveareallygreatgameonyourWindowsPhonethathasyouutterlyhooked.Ifyoureluckyitllalsobeavailableforyourdesktop.WithUniversalApps,itsalmostcertainthatyoullbeabletoplaythesamegameonyourXboxwhenyougethome.
Integrationdoesntstopthere,however.ThenewXboxLiveappsforyourdesktop,tablet,andphonewillallowyoutomanageyourplayerprofile,achievements,andmorefromthosedevices(seeFigure3-10).
Figure3-10.XboxOnewillrunWindows10
PerhapsthecoolestfeaturewillbethatyoucanstreamXboxOnegamesfromtheconsoletoanyWindows10PCortablet,meaningyoucancontinuetoplayyourgameswhentheTVisinuseforBetterCallSaulorGameofThrones.
AnothermajorbenefitofhavingWindows10runningontheXboxOneisthatyouwillbeabletoplaygamesonlinewithpeoplewhoareusingaWindows10PC,laptop,ortablet.NotallplayerswillneedanXboxOneconsoletoparticipate.Allyouwillneedisthegameavailableforthedifferentdevices.
-
TheinclusionofMicrosoftsnewgraphicsrenderingengine,DirectX12,willresultinever-morerealisticandsmoothgameplay,andWindows10willallowyoutocaptureimageandvideoclipsofyourgaminginrealtimeasyouplayandsharethemwithonlinecommunities.
ItsprobablyingamingthatWindows10seessomeofitsgreatestpotential,especiallywithInternetofThingsdevices,whichIlltalkaboutshortly.GaminghasalwaysbeenincrediblypopularonWindowsPCs,andWindows10lookscertaintotakethispopularitytothenextlevel.
TheInternetofThingsFirst,IshouldexplainwhattheInternetofThings(IoT)is,asyoumayhaveheardofitbutnotbecompletelyfamiliarwiththeconcept.Basically,theInternetofThingsisanideawherebyallofourhomeandworkdevicesandappliancesareconnectedtotheInternetandhaveimprovedfunctionalityasaresult.
Someofthishasalreadyappeared,withsolarpowersystemsabletocommunicatewithyouremotelyviaanapp,arefrigeratorabletodowhateveritisanInternetfridgemightneedtodo(evenIgetconfusedbythatone),amicrowaveoroventhatcandownloadrecipesandcookingtimes,orabathroommirrorthatcandisplayyourdaysappointments.
IoTdevicesevenextendoutsideofthehome;carscanbeInternet-connectedtoreadusemailsastheyarrive,displayappointmentdetails,provideliveroute-planning,andtoallowustomakeaquickvideocalloverSkype.
SomeIoTdeviceshaveexistedintheworkplaceforawhile,suchasphotocopiersandprintersthatcansendemailsandsavedocumentstocloudbackupservices.TheMicrosoftSurfaceHub,whichIdetailinChapter5,isanIoTPC.
Lastly,ifyoureusinganInternet-connectedsmartTV,youareusinganIoTdevice.Theyarequiteliterallyeverywhere!
MicrosoftisdeterminedthatmanymoreIoTdeviceswillrunWindows10inyearstocome,buthowwillthisbenefitus,ifatall?
Formyself,Iratherliketheideaofthebathroommirrororrefrigeratorinformingmeofupcomingappointmentsornewly-arrivedemailswhileImhalf-asleepearlyinthemorning.Ithinkthatatouch-screendeskthatinstantlyhasaccesstomyOneDrivewouldbeextremelyuseful,especiallywhenIneedtoquicklypullupanimportantfile,andIbelievetheeducationalpossibilitiesofIoTdevicesrunningWindows10arenottobeunderestimated.
RaspberryPi2ThisbringsmeratherneatlytothesubjectoftheRaspberryPi(seeFigure3-11).Forthoseofyouwhoareunfamiliarwithit,thisisaninexpensive,bare-bonesPCthatwasdesignedtohelpstudentslearnhowtowritecomputercode.
-
Figure3-11.TheRaspberryPi2runsWindows10
ThefirstRaspberryPiwasreleasedtogreatfanfarein2012.Itfeaturedalow-costARMprocessor,256MBofmemory,andstorageonlyavailablethroughtheadditionofanSDmemorycard.
Asaneducationaltool,theRaspberryPiishighlyeffective,asitisabletorunawiderangeofoperatingsystemsandsupportmanyprogramminglanguages.ItcouldconnecttoUSBdevices,akeyboard,mouse,andmonitor,andeventotheInternet.
ThisyeartheimprovedRaspberryPi2waslaunched,andtheenormousdevelopercommunityfortheplatformsimplydemandedsupportforWindows.Microsoftwasalltoohappytooblige,andtheyannouncedatthebeginningofFebruary2015notonlythatWindows10wouldrunontheRaspberryPi2,butalsothattheOSwouldbecompletelyfreetothedevelopmentcommunitythroughtheWindowsDeveloperProgramforIoT.TheversionofWindowsavailablefortheRaspberryPi2willlikelybeverysimilartothe8-inchorsmallerdevicesedition.Thismeanstherewillbenodesktopversion,forreasonsoflicensing.
BeingabletopurchaseasmallPCforjust$35andwriteandrunWindows10appsonitwillbeahugelyexcitingprospectforthedeveloperandeducationalcommunitiesalike,anditsdefinitelysomethingtolookforwardto.
SummaryOneoperatingsystem,foreverydeviceinyourlife,waswhatMicrosoftsaidwhentheyfirstannouncedWindows10totheworld,and2015is,quitefrankly,onlythestartofit.PCs,laptops,Ultrabooks,tablets,theXboxOne,phones,andtheRaspberryPi2arewherethingswillbegin,butletsnotforgetwhatsalreadybeenannounced,suchastheHoloLens,whichIwilltalkaboutinChapter4,andtheSurfaceHub.
ThepotentialofWindows10tobeaglobalOSplatformdoesntstopthere,however.
-
YourhomeautomationorheatingsystemcouldsoonbepoweredbyWindows10,asmightyourcaroreventhekettle.Thepossibilitiesonlyendatthelimitsoftheimaginationofsoftwareanddevicedevelopers.
SofarinthisbookIvedetailedthenewandcoolfeaturesintheWindows10OS,butthatsonlyhalfthestory.Inthenextchapterwellbegintolookathowthisallfitstogetherintoacohesiveandmoreproductiveexperienceforusersandbusinessesalike.Now,wheresmyphone?IneedtotellthekettletobeboiledforwhenIgethome.
-
CHAPTER4
WhatsNewforEndUsers?SofarinthisbookIveshownyouthenewheadlinefeaturesinWindows10,includingtheCortanapersonalassistantandvariousfeaturescomingtoWindows10smartphones.Thequestionremains,however:WhatwillWindows10actuallybeliketouseonyourPC?
Microsofthasmadequiteabitofnoiseabouttheirproductivityfocusforthisnewoperatingsystem,andIvementioneditinthesepagesonmorethanoneoccasion.
WhetheryoureusingyourPCathomeoratwork,youdontwanttobehamstrungbyaninterfacethatsdifficulttouseorOSfeaturesthatarentdiscoverableorintuitive.Inthischapter,IllguideyouthroughwhatsnewandimprovedontheWindowsdesktopandshowyouhowitllmakeapositiveimpactonyourPCuse.
MultipleDesktopsUnlessyoureusingasmallWindowstabletoryoujustuseWindowsonaphone,youllspendmuch,ifnotall,ofyourtimeonthedesktop.WhenyoustartWindows10,allappearsmuchasbefore,withtheTaskbaralongthebottomofyourscreen,aWindowskeyinthebottomleft,andthesystemtrayandclockinthebottomright.
Dontbefooledthough,asmajorandsignificantchangeshavebeenmadetothedesktopinWindows10.Eachchangeiseitherarefinementofanexistingfeatureorsomethingnewentirely.
TheabilitytohavemultipledesktopsonaPChasbeenafeatureofGNU/Linuxforyears,andmanyplug-inshaveexistedforWindowstoallowyoutoaddthefeature.Windows10,however,isthefirsttimeMicrosofthasnativelyincludedthismuch-requestedfeatureintheOS.ItsrunfromaniconontheTaskbar,andyoucanidentifyitbytworectangularblocks,oneinfrontoftheother(seeFigure4-1).
Figure4-1.YoucanlaunchmultipledesktopsfromtheTaskbar
ClickingthisiconwilldisplayallyouropenwindowsasthumbnailswhilealsodisplayingadarkbaracrossthebottomofyourscreenwithanAddadesktopbuttoninitscenter(seeFigure4-2).
-
Figure4-2.TheAddadesktopbuttonisbottomcenteronthescreen
Whenyouhavemultipledesktopsopen,theywillappearassmall,livethumbnailsonthisdarkbar(seeFigure4-3).
Figure4-3.ItssimpletomanagemultipledesktopsinWindows10
ThemethodsformovingappsbetweendesktopshadntbeenfinalizedinWindows10bythetimeIwrotethis,butright-clicking(touchingandholding)anappthumbnailwilldisplayanoptionsmenu,inwhichamoveoptionisavailable.ItwillbepossibleinthefinalreleaseofWindows10touseakeyboardcombinationshortcuttomoveappstodifferentdesktops,anditsalsoexpectedthatyoullbeabletodraganddropappstodifferentdesktops.
-
YoucancloseanentiredesktopbyclickingtheCloseicononitsthumbnail,whichappearswhenyoumouseovertheicon.Thetouchmethodforclosingadesktophasnotyetbeenfinalized.Closingadesktopdoesntmeananyappsopenonthatdesktopwillalsobeclosed.Whenyoucloseadesktop,anyopenappsareautomaticallymovedtothenearestopendesktop.
Multipledesktopscanbeextremelyuseful,especiallyinthebusinessspace.Forexample,whenworkinginmyhomeofficeIwillhaveInternetExplorerandOutlookopenononedesktop,MicrosoftWordforwritingonasecond,andperhapsacoupleofvirtualmachinesfortestingaswellasscreenshotsopenonathird.
Alternatively,youcouldhaveyourworkappsopenononedesktop,andAmazonandMinesweeperopenonanother(thoughwhenthetimecomesforameetingwithyouremployeraboutthis,youdidntgettheideafromme).
TheReturnoftheStartMenuOneofthelargestcriticismsofWindows8wastheremovaloftheStartMenufromthedesktop,anditsreplacementwiththefull-screenStartScreenandtheAllAppsView.
WhentheStartMenuwasfirstintroducedinWindows95(yesitreallyisthatold),itreceivedinstantpraise,andwhenitwasrefinedfurtherinWindowsVistaandWindows7sothathugefly-outmenusdidntappearfromtheAllProgramslink,itbecameuniversallypopular.Well,youllbedelightedtohearthattheStartMenuismakingatriumphantreturninWindows10andhasbeenrefinedyetagain(seeFigure4-4).
-
Figure4-4.TheStartMenuinWindows10
IvegottobehonestIneverpersonallylikedtheStartMenuafterWindows7wasreleased,asinmanywayspinningappiconstotheTaskbarandlaunchingfilesfromtheirjumplistsisasignificantlyfasterwaytolaunchanyappinWindows.
IvealsoharanguedWindowsprogrammanagersovertheyearstoincludetheabilitytocreateTaskbarprogramgroups,whereyoucandragoneappiconontoanothertocreateapop-upappsgroup.Theytoldmetheydconsideredit,buttheyhaventimplementedityet.
SowhatsnewwiththischangedStartMenu,andarethechangesanimprovement?ThefirstthingyoullnoticeisthattilesforUniversalAppsarenowpinnabletoitsrightside.Thesearecompletelyoptional,andifyouwanttousetheStartMenuwithjustyourdesktopprogramsandnopinnedLiveTiles,youcandojustthat.
ShouldyouwantsomeLiveTiles,howeverandIlldetailinaminuteagoodreasonwhyyoumighttheycanberesizedinthesamewayasontheWindows8.1StartScreenanddraggedaroundtorearrangethem,evenintodifferenttilegroups.
LiveTilescanbegenerallyusefulbecauseoftheinformationtheyprovide.In
-
addition,beingabletopresstheWindowskeyand,ataglance,seetheheadersforyourlatestreceivedemailsaswellasthenewsheadlinesandweathercannotonlyhelpkeepyoumoreinformed,butcanalsoboostyourproductivitysinceyoumightneedtoopenthoseappsornewswebsitesoften.
OntheWindows7StartMenu,optionsforvariousPClocations,suchasyourdocumentsandcomputerFileExplorerviews,theControlPanel,andDevicesandPrinters,werefoundintherightpanel.ThesehavenowbeenmovedtothetopleftoftheStartMenuinaPlacessection.
BeneaththisisthelistofyourMostUsedappsandthenfinallyanyRecentlyInstalledappswillappear.TheAllAppsbuttonsitsinthebottomleftoftheStartMenuandpresentsalistofalltheappsinstalledonyourPCinawaythatwillbeinstantlyfamiliartousersofWindows7.
InthefinalreleaseofWindows10theseviewswillbehighlyconfigurable,justastheywereinWindows7,withappsviewableinavarietyofdifferentways.YoucanalsodragUniversalAppsdirectlyoutoftheAllAppslistintothetiledareaontherightofStartMenu.
NoteItsexpected,buthasnotbeenconfirmed,thatinthefinalreleaseofWindows10youwillbeabletodragUniversalApptilesontothedesktop,wheretheycanbepinnedandusedasliveinformationwidgets.
TherearethreemorebuttonsatthetopoftheStartMenu.Inthetopleftisyouruserpicture,whichyoucanclickforoptionstochangeyouruseraccountsettings,logout,orlockthePC.AtthetoprightoftheStartMenuareapowerbuttonwithSleep,Shutdown,andRestartoptionsandamaximizebutton,whichwilltoggletheStartMenubetweenafull-screenmodeandawindowsmode.
InanearlybuildofWindows10theedgesoftheStartMenucouldbegrabbedwithamouseanddraggedaroundtoresizeit.ThisisusefulifyouhavealotoftilespinnedtotheStartMenu,butthefeaturewasremovedforthebuildsusedtowritethisbook.HopefullythisfeaturewillseeareturnforthefinalreleaseoftheOS.
ImprovedAppSwitchingwithTaskViewItmightseemobvioustousnow,butswitchingbetweenrunningappsinWindowsversionsbeforeWindows10wasoftenhinderedbythesmallthumbnailsizesoftheapps.TheFlip3DviewofVistaprovidedlargethumbnails,butwasntverypopularwithusers,andsoWindows7revertedtojustthestandardAlt-Tabwayofswitchingbetweenopenapps.
Windows10doesmakethisappswitchingeasier,however,simplybymakingthethumbnailslarger(seeFigure4-5).Theyrealsolive,soyoucanseeexactlywhatsgoingonintheappsatthattime.
-
Figure4-5.ImprovedappswitchinginWindows10
Youllalsoseeinthefigurethattheappsareappropriatelyandfullylabeled,makingiteasiertoidentifywhatswhat.Idontknowaboutyou,butifyouvehadmultipleFileExplorerwindowsopen,switchingbetweenthemandfindingtherightoneinthepasthasbeenahitandmissaffair.
TaskViewcanalsobecontrolledwithgesturesfromyourlaptopstrackpad,andIlldetailhowtodosolaterinthischapter.
Four-WaySnap!Idontknowaboutyou,butIlovedthedesktopSnapfeaturewhenitwasintroducedinWindows7.BeingabletoquicklysnaptwowindowstotheleftandrightsideofthescreensoIcouldtransferfilesorcomparetwowebpagesordocuments,andthensnapthemawayandhavethemreverttotheiroriginalsize,washugelyuseful.
Ialwaysfeltitlimiting,however,thatthisonlyworkedwithtwowindows.IoftenhavetosimultaneouslyshufflevideoandotherfilesbetweendifferentdrivesonmyPCaswellasnetworkstoragelocations.Well,thegoodnewsisthatSnaphasbeenimprovedinWindows10sothatitnowsupportsfour-waysnap(seeFigure4-6).
-
Figure4-6.Windows10supportsfour-waysnap
Youcanstilldragappstothefarleftandrightofyourscreentousesnapinthetwo-waysplit-screenviewasbefore.Inaddition,youcandragappstothefourcornersofyourscreentosnapthemtopleft,topright,bottomleft,andbottomright.
WhenyousnapawindowinWindows10,theremainingspacewillshowthumbnailimagesforyourremainingopenapps.Ifyouclickoneoftheseitwillautomaticallyfilltheremainingspaceinatwo-,three-,orfour-waysplitview.Alternatively,youcanclickoneoftheappsthatsalreadysnapped,orthedesktop,toreturnthere.
SearchfromtheTaskbarInChapter2IspokeaboutCortanasinclusioninWindows10andoftheproductivitybenefitsitcanbring.NotallcountrieswillbenefitfromCortanawhenWindows10launches,however,andsomeuserswillseeasearchiconinstead.
RegardlessofwhetherornotyouuseCortanainWindows10,youcanchangetheTaskbaricontoasearchboxbyright-clickingitandchoosingtheappropriateoption,enablingyoutosearchbothyourPCandtheInternetdirectlyfromtheTaskbar(seeFigure4-7).
Figure4-7.YoucansearchdirectlyfromtheTaskbar
-
SearchingfromthisboxworksinexactlythesamewayasIdetailedinChapter2,anditcansavevaluabletimesinceyoudonthavetoopenawebbrowsertonavigatetoBing,Google,oranothersearchengine.
NoteForpeopleusingWindows10onatouchdevice,suchasatablet,thedesktopon-screenkeyboardnowsupportsfullautocorrectandpredictivetext.ThesehavebeenfeaturesinWindowsPhoneforawhile,anditsgreattoseethemusedthroughoutWindows10.
ImprovedFileExplorerItshouldbenotedthatFileExplorerinWindows10isgoingthroughsomethingofanupheaval,andsotheversionseenintheTechnicalPreviewisfarfromthefinishedproduct.
Oneinterestingaddition,however,isthatbydefault(thoughyoucanchangethis)themainviewwhenyouopenaFileExplorerwindowisthenewQuickAccesspane(seeFigure4-8).
Figure4-8.FileExplorernowopensintoaQuickAccesssection
Thisnewviewwillshowyouthemostrecentlyutilizedfolders,disklocations,andfiles,enablingyoutoquicklygainaccesstothedocuments,files,andlocationsyouarecurrentlyworkingwith.
-
AnythingcanbepinnedtotheQuickAccessview,whichreplacestheFavoritespanefromWindows7andWindows8.1.Thisincludesfolders,localandnetworkdrives,andfiles.PinninganitemtotheQuickAccesssectiondoesntjustdisplayitinthetreeviewontheleftsideofFileExplorerwindows,butalsointhemainview.
Otherwise,FileExploreriscurrentlyunchanged,thoughwecanexpectrefinementstoincludebettertouchsupport,likelywithRibbonUIenhancementsthatspaceoutbuttonsandoptionsforwhenTabletmodeisactivatedonthePC.
TouchandTrackpadGesturesWhetheryouwilluseWindows10withatouchscreenoronalaptop,youllbeusingtouch,andinthisnewOSthewaysinwhichyoucaninteractwiththeOSarebenefittingfromwelcomeimprovements.NotallthegesturesforWindows10havebeenfinalized,butMicrosoftisexpectedtofurtherrefinethetouchgesturesandcontrolsfortheOS.
Additionallynewtrackpadgestureswillbeavailabletolaptopusers.Theseincludebutarenotlimitedtothefollowing:
YoucanShow[the]Desktopwithathree-fingerswipedownwardsonthetrackpad.Thisgesturewillautomaticallyminimizeallthewindowsonyourscreen(useful,perhaps,ifthebosswalkspastwhileyoureshoppingonAmazon).
Youcanalsoreversethis(afterthebossisoutofview)byswipingupwardswiththreefingersonyourtrackpadtoRestore[all]Windowsonthedesktoptotheirpreviouslocations.
ToopenTaskViewinWindows10andseelargethumbnailwindowsofallyourrunningapps,swipeupwardswiththreefingersonthetrackpad,thesamegestureusedtorestoreallyourminimizedwindows.
OnceintheTaskViewyoucanswipeleftandrightonthetrackpadtomovethroughtheavailableapps,keepingyourfingersonthetrackpadwhileyoudothis.Toselectanapp,liftyourfingeroffthetrackpad.
Overall,gesturessuchasmulti-touchpinch-zoomcontrolsarebeingimproveduponforbothtouchandtrackpaduse,andwecanexpecttoseeadditionalgesturesannouncedbyMicrosoftnearerthefinalreleaseofWindows10.
SingleSign-OnOneoftheimprovementsMicrosoftmadetoWindows8.1andWindowsPhone8.1wastheabilitytoautomaticallysyncyourwebsiteusernamesandpasswordsbetweenvariousPCsusingaMicrosoftAccount.
WithWindows10theywanttoextendthisfunctionalityfurtherbyprovidingnewsingle-sign-on(SSO)extensions.Fulldetailsofthisaresketchy,buttheaimistomakeitsimplertologintomultipleservicesthatrequirethesameusernameandpassword.
ThiswillcertainlyworkwithaMicrosoftAccountandWindowsDomainservices,
-
suchasAzureandActiveDirectory.Itremainstobeseenifthefunctionalitywillalsoincludeothercompaniesthatprovidemultipleservices,suchasGoogleandApple.
ThefinalaimofSSOisthatyouwillonlybepromptedforyourusernameand/orpasswordwhensecurityiscrucial,forexamplewhenchangingyouraccountandbillingsettingswithMicrosoft.
OneDriveandOneDriveforBusinessMicrosoftisfullybehinditscloudservicesstrategy,andproductsincludingOneDriveandOffice365arecrucialtothecompanysprosperitygoingforward.
InrecentyearsthecompanyhasmadegreatimprovementstoitsOneDrivecloudsyncandbackupservice.Thesehaveincludedexpandingthestorageavailabletoconsumersandbusinesses,improvingmaximumfilesizelimits,andsoon.
Oneofthebest,andmostenvied,OneDrivefeaturesinWindows8.1wasitsuseoffileplaceholders.YoucouldhavetensorevenhundredsofgigabytesoffilesstoredinyourOneDriveaccount.OnadesktopPCwithalargeharddiskitwouldntbeaproblemtoalsokeepalocalcopyofthesefiles,butonatabletorUltrabook,whichtypicallycomewithverysmallamountsofstorage,youcouldalsokeepallyourfilesandaccessthemwheneveryouneeded.Windows8.1didthisbyusingplaceholdersinsteadoftheactualfile.Theseplaceholderswouldlooklikethefile,reportthecorrectsizeofthefile,andsoon,butinsteadtheydjustbeshortcutlinkstotheactualfilethatwasstoredinyourOneDriveaccount.
Whenyouopenedaplaceholder,assumingyouhadaliveInternetconnection,theactualfilewouldbedownloadedandthenstoredandsyncedlocallyfromthePCuntilsuchtimeasyouright-clickedonitandtoldWindowstoonlymakeitavailableofflineagain.Thiswasatremendouslycleveridea,anditsbeingfurtherrefinedinWindows10withtheadditionofsupportforMicrosoftsOneDriveforBusinessservice.
Previously,touseOneDriveforBusinessyouneededtodownloadaseparatesyncengine,whichhasremainedseparateuntilnow.Windows10willunifythemintoasinglesyncenginesobothcanbemanagedquicklyandsimplyfromwithinWindows10itself.
Thefullramificationsofthisarentyetclear,thoughitsunlikelyyoullbeabletocombinethetwoservicesintoonelargestoragepool.OneDriveforBusinessisnotwithoutitsflaws,however,amajorflawbeingthatafterareinstallorreimageofthePCyouhavetoresynctheentirefilelibrarytoyourPCagain,whichisnotsomethingthattheconsumerversionofOneDrivesuffersfrom.
HopefullyOneDrivewilltakeonnewfunctionality,andthecurrentlimitsoftheOneDriveforBusinesssyncenginewillbeeradicatedinthefinalreleaseofWindows10.
GamingandXboxStreamingGaminghasalwaysbeenextremelyimportanttothePC,andrecentresearchhasshowed
-
thatgame-developmentcompaniesstillplacethePCatthetopoftheirprioritylist,aheadofconsolessuchastheXboxOneandPlaystation4.Thisisdespitetheapparentfocusplacedonsmartphonegaming.
WithWindows8,MicrosoftintroducednewXboxfeatures,thoughthesewerelimitedtoacoupleofappsandsomegamesthatcouldsynchronizeachievementswithyourXboxLiveaccount.
Windows10willtakegamingtothenextlevelwithanewgraphicsrenderingengine,DirectX12,partneringwithatrulycross-deviceoperation(seeFigure4-9).
Figure4-9.Cross-devicegamingisimprovedinWindows10
Newfeaturesincludetheabilitytoplaythesamegamewithafriendsimultaneouslyondesktop,tablet,and/ortheXboxOneconsole.ByfarthestandoutfeatureforgaminginWindows10,however,istheabilitytolivestreamgameplayfromyourXboxconsoletoatabletorPCrunningWindows10.ThiswillallowyoutoplayyourXboxOnegamesonalmostanyWindows10device,andbecausethegraphicsarestreamed,thedeviceyoureplayingthegameondoesntneedalotofgraphicspowerofitsown.ThisstreamingisachievedoveryourhomeWi-FinetworkandwillenableyoutouseanewgenerationofXboxOnecontrollerswithmultiplePCdevices.
NewAppsComingtoWindows10Asyoumightexpect,thelaunchofanewoperatingsystemwillalsoincludearefreshfortheUniversalAppsbundledwithandavailableforyourPC.Generally,updateswillbeavailableforallthemainapps,includingMail(whichwillbecomeOutlook),People,Calendar,Photos,Videos,Music,andmore.
MicrosofthasntsaidmuchaboutwhatnewfunctionalitythesenewappswillbringorhowtheymaytieintothenewstorethatMicrosofthassaidwillincludeothertypesofdigitalcontentalongsideappsandgames.
-
Oneapptheyhavespokenabout,however,isthenewPhotosapp,whichincludestwoveryinterestingnewfeatures.Thefirstoftheseisauto-enhancemode,whichwillapplysimpleandnon-destructiveenhancementstoyourphotostoimproveskintone,colorbalance,contrast,orbrightness.
AnewalbumsfeaturewillautomaticallyaggregatethephotosyouhavestoredonyourPC(s),phone,andOneDriveaccountintoasinglehubwheretheywillbeautomaticallysortedandcategorizeddependingonthepeopleinthem,thelocationtheyweretakenat,andsoon.
ThisisafeaturehaveIusedextensivelymyselfovertheyearsbymanuallytaggingphotosinacustompictureslibraryinFileExplorer.Windows10doingthisonitsownandlettingmesearchautomaticallyforphotostakeninGermanyorfeaturingmyfriendLarrywillmakeorganizingandsearchingourever-expandingphotolibrariesmuchsimpler.
MicrosoftHoloLensMicrosoftsmajorWindows10announcementsinJanuary2015werecompletelyovershadowedbytheunveilingoftheHoloLensheadsetattheendoftheevent.
TheHoloLens,aprototypeofwhichcanbeseeninFigure4-10,isanaturalandlogicalextensiontotheKinectsensorandseveralotherMicrosoftprototypetechnologiesthatwouldhaveallowedustointeractwiththeworldaroundusindifferentways.
Figure4-10.TheHoloLensheadset
TheaimofHoloLensistwo-fold.First,asseeninFigure4-11,theheadsetwillenabletheoverlayingofvirtualobjectsintherealworld,suchasplayingalargevideoonthewallofyourlivingroom,orplacingasocialmediareadoutonyourrefrigeratordoor.
-
Figure4-11.InteractingwiththeworldaroundyouwithHoloLens
Second,theheadsetwillallowyoutointeractwithyourphysicalenvironmentandotherpeopleinnewways,suchaschasingmonstersaroundyourownlivingroom,creatingavirtualMinecraftcastleonatable,orbuildinga3Dmodelforprintinginthinair.
Additionally,thedemosforHoloLensshowedpeopleworkingonWindows10tabletswhilebeingabletoseewhattheweareroftheheadsetwasseeing,andthenannotatingobjectsinthatviewwithinstructions,suchaswhichpipetounscreworwhereintheenginetheycouldfindthemanifold.
Asyoumoveyourheadinthisvirtualworldtheoverlaidobjectsremainstatic,givingthemasenseofrealsubstance,andeachcanbeinteractedwithusinghandandfingergestures(thoughnotactuallytouchedorgrabbedyet!).
ReviewerswhovehadachancetouseHoloLenshavedescribeditasextremelyrealisticandevenmagical,withthevirtualobjectsnotappearingasthoughtheyreonascreen,lessthanoneinchfromyoureyes,butinsteadprojecteddirectlyontoarealobjectacrosstheroom.
HoloLenswillbeoutintheWindows10timeframe,accordingtoMicrosoft,whichputsitsometimeinthenextcoupleofyears.Pricinghasnotbeenannounced,andthesuccessoftheproductwillsitentirelywiththequalityandavailableofapps.
Asamediaoreducationaldevice,however,theHoloLensshowsgreatpotential,andIpersonallycantwaittotryoneformyself.
SummaryItsclearthat