new features in Windows 10

New features in Windows 10

Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 on Tuesday night. It is the successor to Windows 8 but actually it looks like a fresher and flatter version of Windows 7. The tablet-specific focus that Windows 8 has brought is gone with Windows 10. The focus is again on traditional computer users and people who use Windows in their offices.

After failure of Windows 8, this new version of Windows is very important for Microsoft. The company has to win back the trust of desktop and laptop users, who did not find the Windows 8 appealing. No wonder, Windows 10 is packed with features. We list some of the more prominent ones.

Start Menu is back in a new avatar

This is the most exciting new feature in Windows 10. The Start menu was removed in Windows 8. After the outcry from users, Microsoft introduced Start button in Windows 8.1 but there was no menu. With the Windows 10, the menu is coming back. But unlike the Start menu in the Windows 7, there are some changes. The Start menu in Windows 10 can have both traditional and Modern UI aka Metro UI apps. This means you will see Adobe Photoshop as well as the Me tile, introduced in Windows 8, in the Start menu of Windows 10. The tiles are dynamic and hence look like widgets. This is a really cool solution from Microsoft and it offers consumers best of both Windows 7 and Windows 8 in an easy to access place.

Multiple desktops Windows 10

When you launch task view, Windows 10 will support the ability to view multiple desktops. You'll be able to switch between different desktops where multiple apps can run. Using the new ‘Snap Assist’ UI you will also be able to grab apps from those different desktops. If it works as advertised, this could be a seriously impressive feature.

New way to glance at open windows 10

Tech savvy consumers use ALT+TAB to see open windows and shuffle through them. But on Windows 10, Microsoft is adding a small button on the task bar. If you click on it, this button will show the open windows. It is similar to how the multitasking switcher on Android phones works. When you hit this task switcher on your phone, you can see the filmstrip of open apps. With Windows 10, it will be similar and that in our opinion will make multitasking easier.

Universal search

It was part of Windows 8.1 but the universal search is now getting integrated in the Start menu. This means when you search for Photoshop using the Start menu, you will get the results not only from the computer (installed applications etc) but also from the web. The web search is, obviously, powered by Microsoft's search engine Bing. 

Snap view

Power users know that while working on multiple application they can snap two windows side-by-side in the existing versions of Microsoft's operating system. But in Windows 10, even mainstream users will be able to use the feature in a better way due to a tool called Snap Assist. Also, snap view now allows a user to snap together four applications instead of two.

Windows Store apps can work like desktop apps

In another attempt to make the Metro interface work in a more traditional Windows way, apps downloaded from the Windows Store can now be re-sized and will include title bars so you can minimize and maximize them giving you more flexibility with how apps can be displayed.

New command prompt

Yes, even Command Prompt is getting a tweaked. Long-time users of Windows will be familiar with using prompt to run in MS-DOS mode and in Windows 10 you will now be able to paste directories with the Ctrl and V keyboard shortcut. A simple, but nonetheless useful feature for some users.

Windows 10 will replace Windows Phone

Microsoft is really pushing for a unified operating system for all of its Windows-running products and that includes smartphones. Microsoft has confirmed that the next generation Windows Phone will use Windows 10 as well. One feature that won't be replicated in the phone version of Windows 10 is desktop mode, which isn't really a surprise considering the screen size you have to play with.