Screenshots: A preview of Microsoft Windows 10 Microsoft Windows 10 Desktop

Transcription

1 Screenshots: A preview of Microsoft Windows 10 By Mark Kaelin Microsoft Windows 10 Desktop Here is the Microsoft Windows 10 Desktop. It looks very much like a Windows 8 Desktop. One difference is the "Ask me anything" section of the taskbar--that's Cortana listening for those magic words: "Hey Cortana!" You might also notice that there are some Microsoft Office 2013 icons on the taskbar, along with the familiar icon for the Chrome browser. Those were installed on this PC when it was running Windows 8.1, and they were there when Windows 10 finished its install. Windows 10 is basically a Windows Update. By the way, I'm using an aging HP Pavilion Entertainment notebook PC (HP DV7t 1000) for this gallery. Windows 10 runs smoothly albeit a bit slowly.

2 New smaller Startt Menu screen When you click the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner (or press the [Windows] key), you'll see the new smaller Start Menu screen. Theree are still active tiles, but the Start Menu no longer completely covers the desktop as it does in Windows 8.

3 Full screen Unless of course you want it to, then you just click the expansion arrow to get the full screen.

4 General applications The general applications that come with Windows, like the photo app shown here, have been, for the lack of better word, "tabletized." This is where you'll see the blending of desktop and tablett interfaces.

5 Photo app The settings page for the Photo app is an even better example of a tablet friendly interface on the desktop.

6 Cortana This is what you see when you first talk to Cortana. The suggestion of the Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey is a bit disconcerting.

7 Cortana settings I changed the settings to have Cortana call me Mark, but I suppose you could choose something more appropriate, like Dr. Evil, if so inclined.

8 Basic productivity features As part of the Cortana system, Microsoft is trying to provide some of the basic productivity features people tend to use on a regular basis. There's a notebook app, basic , calendar, and a task list.

9 Familiar Windows 8 menu If you right-click on the Windows icon in the corner, you get the familiar Windows 8 menu of system control, setting, and configurationn applications.

10 Windows Update dialog screen Of course, there's the familiar Windows Update dialog screen. It looks a little different, but it still performs the same function.

11 Windows Defender And Windows Defender is still around to protect us from malware and other security problems.

12 Systems Settings screen The Systems Settings screen has changed a bit to accommodate the tablet interface, but all of the functions are still available.

13 Notifications menu One significant change in Windows 10 is the increased functionality of the Action Center, which is now called the Notifications menu. You can see at a glance what updates have been recently applied and get access to useful areas, like system settings, through this feature.

14 Edge browser This is a look at the new browser from Microsoft that will come with Windows 10. The code name is Project Spartan, but it has already been announced that the shipping name will be Edge. Notice the clean, minimalistic look. If you're not paying attention, you may not even notice that you're in a browser.

15 The Edge Favourites Bar The Edge Favourites Bar is more of a Favourites Sidebar. Once again, to accommodate fat fingers on a tablet or a smartphone, the bar needs to have some girth that's not necessary on a desktop a compromise I can live with, I think.

16 Edge annotation features As part of its commitment to the theme of collaboration, Microsoft is pushing the annotation features of the Edge browser. Using the built-in tools, you can mark up a web page to your heart's content.

17 Edge collaboration You can make notes for yourself or for your collaborative partners.

18 Edge tools You can also cut out sections of a web page you want to highlight and share just thatt section with friends and colleagues. Personally, I don't think I will make much use of these tools, but I think it's nice to have them available on the rare occasion where it would prove useful.

19 Task View There is one new Windows 10 feature that really appeals to me. It's called Task View, and it's accessed by clicking the icon just right of Cortana on the Task Bar. This feature is the old [Alt] + [Tab] task switcher on steroids.

20 Multiple desktopss One new feature in Task View is the ability to createe more than one desktop. Now, not only can you switch between running applications, but you can also switch between desktops. About Mark Kaelin Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, anewdomain.net, and TechRepublic. Source: 10/1/