Powerful New Features of Microsoft Corporation Windows 10

World's most popular Computer OS, Microsoft Corp. released Windows 10 a little over a month ago and we have finally tested the new operating system and can say with confidence that it is a lot better than Windows 8. This is mostly because of the change Microsoft has brought to the interface of the new Windows. The live tile metro apps have been removed and Microsoft has reverted back to the desktop theme, which has made Microsoft so successful in the past. While there are a lot of new changes in the operating system that makes Windows 10 better than its predecessor, we take a look at the 10 best features in Microsoft’s new OS.

Start Menu

Microsoft after complaints from users all over the world have brought back the much acclaimed start menu. Microsoft had removed the start menu in Windows 8 and adopted a live tile eco-system, which failed to provide simple functionality as Microsoft tried to transition to the “touch-screen” system. There are still live tiles present within the start menu, but users have the option to re-size the tiles so they do not take up all the space on the desktop screen and also have the option to completely get rid of the tiles if they wish. Bringing the start menu is a positive move from Microsoft as users have loved the start menu since the introduction of Windows.

Windows Store Apps

The Windows store apps have been Windowed in the new operating system as compared to Windows 8. When a user would open an application from the Windows Store in Windows 8, the application would take up the whole screen and users had to minimize the application or close it if they had to do something else. Microsoft has eradicated this issue in Windows 10 as apps do not take up the whole desktop screen when launched, instead they open in a desktop Window and Microsoft has also redesigned the interface and included a mouse-friendly tool bar with options on the top of the application.

Cortana

It is probably the most exciting feature in the new Windows 10. Cortana is your own personal digital assistant and controls the operating system’s search functions. Cortana gets better as it learns user information and then adapts to them. Cortana is much like Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) Siri and has the ability to search the Internet from voice commands as well as search the computer’s hard drive for files and folders present on it. Cortana also performs basic functions like setting alarms, creating reminders and playing music.

Edge: Replacing The Internet Explorer

Microsoft has introduced a completely new redesigned web browser in the new Windows 10. Microsoft claims the new web browser is twice as fast as the outgoing Internet explorer and has new features like a Reading List where users can save web pages for reading later on. There is another nifty feature where users can highlight text on webpages and Cortana can search the web to look up the highlighted text. Internet explorer is still included to support the legacy applications, but the Windows Edge has taken its place everywhere else.

Task View

Microsoft has finally included the much awaited feature Virtual Desktops in the new Windows 10. This new feature allows users to switch between multiple virtual desktops of apps and users can create as many virtual desktops as they like. This is a handy tool as users that do not have a multi-monitor setup can create virtual desktops and use separate applications on separate virtual desktops, which makes better use of the desktop screen.

Action Center

The Action Center is a panel, which can be accessed from the side of the desktop screen and houses all your notifications. Microsoft had introduced notifications in Windows 8, but those notifications disappeared from the screen after they were displayed. This was a major problem because if you were not watching the desktop screen, the notifications were lost completely. Microsoft solves this issue with the action center and has also included quick action toggles like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the option to switch to tablet mode.

Continuum

The greatest addition to Windows 10 is undoubtedly the new feature, Continuum. The new Continuum feature is added to make navigation easier for touch-screen users as the PC is able to switch to “tablet mode” as soon as a keyboard is detached. This makes the desktop screen very similar to Windows 8, which is better suited for use by fingers. Through Continuum, Windows 10 Mobile users will be able to use the desktop version of Windows 10 on their smartphones. In the tablet mode, the start menu adjusts itself to fit the screen completely, so do the apps which better use of the desktop.

Command Prompt

Microsoft has finally realized the command prompt needed a revamp. The command prompt in all the previous Windows versions did not support keyboard shortcuts, which made using the command prompt time consuming. Windows 10 allows you to use all the keyboard shortcuts in the command prompt such as copying and pasting a command in the prompt.

Universal Apps

With universal apps, Microsoft aims to eradicate one of its major hurdles, as previously developers had to create separate applications for PCs and smartphones. Universal apps can be run on both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, which means that developers will have to create just one application that can be run on both platforms. Because of this users will be able to run apps on smartphones, which were previously only possible on Windows desktops and laptops.

Core Apps

Microsoft has brought a major overhaul to its core apps Mail and Calendar with Windows 10. After using these new apps, we can say that they are a vast improvement to their counterparts on Windows 8 as the new apps are faster and more responsive while managing to fit a lot more useful information on the desktop screen. These apps work perfectly for both touch-screens and users that prefer to use a mouse. The Mail has new gesture control options and users can modify these gestures to fit their needs, as the gestures provide a seamless navigation through the apps. There is also POP email support, something that was missing from the Windows 8 Mail app. The new Calendar app also has much needed improvements like support for Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Calendar.
There are a lot more new features and tweaks that make Microsoft’s new operating system the best that the company has ever built. For a detailed review of all the new features in Windows 10, check out Bidness Etc’s complete review of Windows 10.