Windows is about to get a big upgrade. From a resurrected
Start Menu to new multitasking tools, the latest Microsoft operating system is
designed to remedy the frustrations caused by the confusing Windows 8. Here’s
the best of what you can look forward to in Windows 10 when it comes to market
in mid-2015.
1) Start Menu Returns
It’s what Windows 8 detractors have been clamoring for, and
Microsoft has finally brought back the Start Menu. Now, when you click on the
Start button at the bottom left of the screen, you get two panels side by side,
with the left column showing pinned, recently and most-used apps.
You also get a power button at the top for options such as
Hibernate, Standby and Shutdown, and an all apps option a la Windows 7. The
right column features a selection of live tiles that you can customize, resize
and reorganize.
2) Universal Search in Start menu
The Search tool at the bottom of the Start menu now not only
searches your programs and files (as it does on Windows 7), but also looks up
related results on the Internet. Presumably powered by Microsoft’s web search
engine Bing, this means you won’t have to open up a browser to find a
particular Wikipedia entry. It’s not entirely clear yet what other sources this
Universal Search will pull from.
3) Multiple Desktops
Think of it as having a different monitor on which you run
another set of windows, but without the physical monitor. The Multiple Desktops
feature is similar to Apple’s Spaces feature on OS X, and helps you manage your
multitude of open windows and apps.
Now, instead of having multiple windows open on top of each
other on one desktop, you can set up a whole other virtual desktop for those
programs to reside in. Set up one specifically for home and leave your apps
such as Netflix and Amazon open, and create another desktop for work on which
you keep Word, Excel and Internet Explorer open.
4) Task View Multitasking
With the new desktops comes a new way to keep
track of your open apps on Windows 10. On the new operating system, you can
either hit the new Task View button on the task bar or swipe in from the left
edge of the screen to pull up a one-page view of all your open apps and files.
It’s not much different from using the Alt-Tab combination shortcut on your
keyboard, but this presents a convenient way for touch-oriented users to get an
overview of what’s running.
5) Improved Start Screen
The new Start screen, which is the touch-optimized page for
all the live tiles and apps Windows 8 has come to be known for, now comes with
a persistent taskbar and a list of programs and folders on the left. This lets
you get easy access to locations such as My Documents or PC Settings directly
from the home screen and makes it easy to find a specific app, thanks to the
All Apps option at the bottom.
We expect more features to be announced as Microsoft gets
closer to publicly releasing Windows 10, so stay tuned for more info.
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