The launch of 8.1 will mark a change in strategy for Microsoft. Instead of releasing new editions of Windows after lengthy development cycles, going forward Redmond is expected to refresh its OS on a yearly basis.
Rather than the usual small incremental changes that you and I sometimes see with the OS upgrades, Microsoft clearly had their serious hat on when developing the Windows 8.1 update. In addition to the expected and surprising amendments, the Redmond based company has also taken the opportunity to update a number of their native apps as well as introduce some new apps with the 8.1 update that will definitely be well received by users. Or will it?
Here is Mr Jensen Harris from the Windows User Experience team to provide a preview and explain more about Windows Blue ... or 8.1.
Here are some changes that we can expect.
You like them bigger ? Or would you like them smaller
End users will now have the option to have the tiles 4 times larger or 4 times smaller.
Control the look and feel.
Not a major change really, but you will be able to change the look of the Start Screen. Simply by invoking a toolbar that appears over the right side of it, with which you can choose background designs and color schemes. Selections you make are applied instantly onto the Start Screen behind this toolbar. (In Windows 8, customizing the Start Screen takes you to a separate configuration page listed under PC Settings where you cannot see changes to your actual Start Screen in real-time.)
Support for ReFS
ReFS is a file system that Microsoft introduced in 2012. It is built upon, and compatible with, NTFS -- the format now commonly used for Windows systems. Windows Blue is the first appearance of this new file system in a client-side version of Windows, where you can select to format a hard drive to use ReFS.
5 new default Apps
Windows Blue comes with five new apps that are pinned to the Start Screen: Alarms, Calculate, Files, Movie Moments and Sound Recorder: Alarms can be used as an alarm clock, countdown timer or stopwatch. Calculate features scientific and standard calculator interfaces. Files is a simple file manager for accessing files stored on your system’s local drive. Sound Recorder is a very bare-bones audio recording app. Movie Moments allows you to load video footage and then can trim both the start and end points of your clip.
Display up to 4 apps on screen at once side-by-side
In Windows 8, you can display two apps alongside one another, each getting its own window column, in a mode Microsoft calls SnapView. Now in Windows Blue, you are given more leeway when you move the borderline dividing the two to resize the area one app takes up on the screen relative to the other.
Assigned Access
Assigned Access or Kiosk Mode, you can set Windows Blue to automatically run a Windows 8 app after your device starts up and a particular user account has been logged in.
Automatic Web searches and results within the Search Charm toolbar
Under Apps in PC Settings, there is an option that when activated will automatically search the Web when you type keywords into the Search Charm, and filter adult content on the Web as it does this.
More things to sync
The sync settings have been relocated under the Users category in PC Settings, and it has a new option to sync your installed apps and Start Screen customization across multiple Windows 8.1 devices that share your user account. You will also be able to sync your tab and tracking protection configuration in Internet Explorer 11, as well as a long list of other things: app secondary Tiles, Bluetooth device associations, Explorer quick links, file history, input personification, picture password, and tethering.
Snap a photo from the lock screen
Under PC Settings for the lock screen, there is a switch you can turn on to allow you to take a photo with your computer’s webcam or tablet camera by dragging down on the lock screen.
No comments:
Post a Comment