Update: With Windows 10 given a launch,
ahem, window and the latest stable preview
build #10041 released on March 18, the new
OS is coming along nicely. What's new:
Microsoft' unlocks 'Achievements' a ala Xbox
on Windows 10, while we got a sneak peek of
the OS on tablets and phablets.
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Read more below under "Recent
developments" and "What's to come in
Technical Preview":
And required reading before installing the
Windows 10 preview
With Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1 ,
Microsoft tried – not entirely successfully –
to make tablets part of a continuum that
goes from number-crunching workstations
and high-end gaming rigs through all-in-one
touchscreen media systems and thin-and
light notebooks down to slender touch
tablets.
The general consensus is that it still has a
long way to go to produce a unified OS.
Recently, Microsoft publicly made the first
steps to doing just that, with Windows 10.
Skipping the Windows 9 name entirely, the
Redmond, Wash. firm aims to step into the
next generation of computing with the right
foot forward.
Microsoft's Windows 10 Technical Preview is
available through its Windows Insider
Program website. You'll need a Microsoft
account to get it, and it's worth bearing in
mind that it's not the finished product, so it
will be a bit rough around the edges.
Is the new OS any good? Read our hands
on Windows 10 review
While information regarding the Windows 10
Road Map slowly trickling through with each
reveal event, this is what we know so far
regarding the stymied release of Windows 10:
Starting with Windows Technical Preview
(WTP) for laptops and desktops back in
September 2014, the preview build extended
to select smartphones on February 12 .
The latest major WTP build launched on
January 23, 2015 and was made available to
download through Microsoft's Windows
Insider Program.
Currently, the WTP is at Build #10041 for
those in Microsoft's "Fast ring" for preview
build updates.
The Technical Preview will end sharply on
April 15 of next year, which conveniently
leaves right off at...
Microsoft's Build 2015 conference next
April, at which the company will have even
more announcements and likely issue a
Windows 10 release date.
The company promises a release to
consumers and enterprise "in the summer"
according to Terry Myerson
How much will it cost?
Confirming recent reports, Microsoft's Terry
Myerson announced that Windows 10 will be
free for Windows 8.1 users for its first year.
While there's no word on pricing for users
still on Windows 7 or an older version,
Microsoft confirmed a while ago that the two
most recent Windows versions will be able to
upgrade to Windows 10 directly.
Microsoft's chief blogger Brandon LeBlanc
also confirmed that Microsoft will support
those who scored a free upgrade to Windows
10 with security and system updates for the
lifetime of those Windows 8.1 devices.
But most recently, Neowin cited sources
claiming that Windows 10 will start appearing
on consumer hardware this coming June.
Simultaneously, news that Microsoft has
trademarked the term "Microsoft 365" with
the intent of it being a service has folks
buzzing about the possibility of a
subscription-based Windows to come, though
that's not likely to be Windows 10. Oh, we
hope not.
Read all about Windows Phone 10 and
Office 365 right here
Recent developments
Most recently, Microsoft unleashed
"Achievements" on Windows 10 in the WTP
build, #10056, and they operate much like
they do on Xbox. In Windows 10, you'll be
rewarded with recognition (and not much
else) for completing certain tasks or
discovering new features of the operating
system.
Plus, WinBeta has provided us with a sneak
peek at how Windows 10 will look on smaller
tablets and larger phones (i.e. "phablets".
The major difference here is the lack of a
desktop mode and Start menu, not to
mention the inability to run Win32 apps. Of
course, Microsoft's Windows apps will scale
to fit these devices' displays (between 6 and
8 inches).
Just last week, news came that Microsoft's
Windows 10 Store – the new unified home for
all of Microsoft's formerly known as
"universal apps" – is finally coming together.
The Movies and TV pages are now live and
active (i.e. ready for your credit card) in the
latest WTP build, with Music next in line for
the upgrade.
Plus, before Windows 10 has even launched,
Microsoft's upgrade plans for the OS have
leaked. Operating under the codename
"Redstone", the Windows maker will issue
updates in two waves. According to Neowin's
report , the first will come June 2016 and the
other October of next year. But don't expect
huge, sprawling changes from these updates
– they're likely to be tweaks to the new OS
for specific types of hardware and other
improvements.
Earlier this month, DigiTimes reported that
Microsoft aims to take on Chromebooks in
partnering with two different companies to
create budget-friendly Windows 10 laptops.
The would-be, low-cost machines will
reportedly be priced as low as $149 (around
£100, or AU$195) and run on Intel's Bay
Trail-generation Atom chips.
And before that, Microsoft changed its tune a
bit regarding universal apps, now referring to
them as Windows apps. Nothing about them
has changed other than their branding and
name – these are still the apps that will work
across every platform that will run Windows
10. On the other hand, legacy Win32 apps will
now be referred to as "Windows desktop
apps," and will only run on PCs.
Microsoft seems keen on eliminating all
forms of user confusion in Windows 10, with
the company further relegating Internet
Explorer to legacy status. The latest sees
Microsoft's newer browser, codenamed
Project Spartan , getting access to the
company's latest rendering engine,
EdgeHTML, exclusively.
The engine allows for better support for
"modern HTML websites" and brings with it
support for unique user experiences, such as
annotation, distraction-free reading and
Cortana integration. Meanwhile, IE will
forever be stuck with Microsoft's current
Trident rendering engine. So no, you won't be
using IE all that much, if at all, in Windows
10.
A bit further back, Microsoft made a new
ruling on Windows 10's approach to UEFI
Secure Boot in its BIOS. Now, Windows 10
hardware makers will have the option to
allow users to toggle secure boot – for
Windows 8, a secure boot toggle was
mandatory. This has the potential to make it
more difficult for users to load multiple
operating systems on a single Windows 10
device. Look out, Linux lovers.
As for the good news, it has been confirmed
that Windows 10 will support a ridiculous
range of display resolutions. Specifically,
displays with as few pixels as 800 x 600 will
be able to run the upcoming operating
system. A range of 800 x 600 to 4K-level
pixel counts is not too shabby, and will allow
an even wider audience to enjoy the new
Windows.
What's to come in Technical
Preview
The latest WTP build available for all testers
is Build #10041. The update brings with it a
slew of new features and fixes, namely
streamlining the Virtual Desktop experience
and giving the Photos app some much-
needed functionality.
Of course, the build comes with a number of
known issues, too. (However, it's now much
more stable after moving to the "Slow" ring.)
The most notable issues include a lack of
login fields upon booting up and certain apps
refusing to install or update due to licensing
issues. Check out our full breakdown right
here.
But soon, teased in reportedly leaked
screenshots of build #10056 , the resizable
Start menu will finally make its debut. Plus,
the Recycling Bin icon entered the third
dimension with a brand new design. News of
the week!
Step into Microsoft's new
Office
Shortly after a leaked video on WinBeta
revealed Microsoft's Universal Office apps in
detail, the company issued an update to the
Windows 10 Technical Preview with just that.
WTP users can now download the new Word,
PowerPoint and Excel Universal apps.
Like the whole of Windows 10, these apps are
designed to work on Windows 10 laptops,
tablets and phones. This update comes in
advance of Office 2016, Microsoft's desktop-
based version of the suite, which we expect
to see debut in the second half of 2015. It's
likely that Office 2016 will interact with its
Universal app counterparts through OneDrive
and other solutions.
Most recently, during MWC 2015 , Microsoft
squeezed a few more details surrounding the
touch-centric Office 2016 , namely cosmetic
makeovers for Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and
Excel. Also, Outlook will be more deeply
integrated with its sister apps than ever
before. Finally the new Insights and Tell Me
features will let users search the internet from
within Office and create search-based
command prompts, respectively.
Bill Gates's not-so-little secret
The co-founder and long-time former CEO of
Microsoft has been working on a secret
project for Microsoft known internally as the
" Personal Agent ," Gates revealed in his third
Ask Me Anything on Reddit recently. This
Personal Agent is a piece of software
designed to remember everything you do on a
PC and provide guidance for how to prioritize
and assistance in interacting with those apps
and files.
"One project I am working on with Microsoft
is the Personal Agent which will remember
everything and help you go back and find
things and help you pick what things to pay
attention to," Gates disclosed on Reddit. "The
idea that you have to find applications and
pick them and they each are trying to tell you
what is new is just not the efficient model -
the agent will help solve this. It will work
across all your devices."
Windows Phone users get a
sneak peek
Microsoft will soon (if not already) issue a
major update to Lumia devices running the
latest version of Windows Phone 8.1,
codenamed "Denim". The Denim update will
bring just a taste of the features that
Windows 10 will employ heavily on
Microsoft's phone lineup, namely Cortana.
This, of course, is in addition to a host of
more features, like Live Folders, a Glance
Screen tool, enhancements to Internet
Explorer and the camera app among others.
You can check out all the details in our in-
depth Lumia Denim update explainer.
Soon after, Microsoft's VP of Operating
Systems Joe Belfiore teased that more
information regarding Windows 10 on phones
is coming within the next two weeks as of
this writing. The new details will come in a
video, according to Belfiore.
Most recently, images of the new mobile OS
leaked through NokiaPowerUser , revealing the
settings pane and notifications interface.
Much of these features seem to be more of
the same, but expanded, like native VPN
support and a do not disturb function. The
full Windows 10 for phones preview is
expected to land sometime in February.
Actually, Microsoft is planning a March 2
event, which could be an in-depth look at
what's inside the preview build that would
have launched by then on a limited set of
phones. This event – during MWC 2015 in
Barcelona, might we add – could mark a
wider launch of the preview as well. Don't,
you'll get all the details from TechRadar no
doubt.
Microsoft reveals something
huge
Like, 84 inches huge. Microsoft has developed
an entirely new device to showcase the
features and capabilities of Windows 10,
called the Surface Hub. Redmond team
members revealed and demoed the device
during its January 21 reveal event.
The device is an 84-inch, 4K touchscreen
that is designed for enterprise users –
generally meeting rooms. The Hub also
features stylus support similar to the Surface
Pro 3 with a pen specifically made for the
device.
The device is designed to offer a holistic
solution for meetings from web conferencing
to whiteboarding and document sharing. No
word on price or release date was given.
... and something intangible
During its January 21 event, Microsoft
revealed Windows Holographic and Microsoft
HoloLens, a brand new headset and hologram
system designed to blow the concept of
augmented reality wide open. Every Windows
10 device will support holographic computing
APIs.
Windows Holographic is Microsoft
holographic computing platform, while
HoloLens is the proof-of-concept for the
firm's holographic computing initiative. The
company built a brand new holographic
processing unit (HPU) to process terabytes of
data from every sensor packed into the
HoloLens.
Through the HPU, HoloLens can run
completely independent of any other device.
Microsoft demonstrated the technology on
stage, creating a 3D model using holograms
and later 3D printing that exact specification.
There was no word on when HoloLens will
launch and how much it will cost, but
Microsoft promised that it will be ready for
the public launch of Windows 10.
Cortana is warping to the PC
That's right, Windows 10 will see the spread
of Cortana, Microsoft's Siri and Google Now
competitor, into all versions of the new OS,
including desktops, laptops and tablets.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore showed off the new
PC-centric features within Cortana during its
January 21 reveal event.
Namely, Redmond developed PC-specific
functions into Cortana for easier access to
files, apps and more. Belfiore demonstrated
colloquial queries like, "Show me photos from
December," to which Cortana summoned
images within that time period immediately.
The idea here is to make key pain points in
interacting with a PC easier than before
through voice.
Microsoft's Universal approach
During its January 21 reveal event,
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore revealed exactly
what the company meant by "Universal apps"
when it first showed off Windows 10.
Basically, the company is developing special
versions of its key apps, like Office, for
Windows 10 phones and tablets under 8
inches.
Apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel and
Outlook will look and feel nearly identical to
their desktop counterparts, but be optimized
for touch and screen size. And through
Microsoft's cloud infrastructure, all of your
files will be accessible through those devices
regardless of where it was created.
Belfiore also detailed a brand new photos app
accessible from any Windows 10 device,
pulling down images from the company's
OneDrive storage service. The new app
aggregates images from both local and cloud
storage, eliminating duplicates and enhancing
photos automatically.
Finally, the universal photos app will also
automatically create photo albums based on
not only when and where photos were taken,
but the subjects of those photos. The idea
here is for managing photos to be simpler
and more automated, taking things a few
steps further than rival solutions.
Following the January 21 event, Microsoft
went on to confirm that its most important
suite of Universal apps, Office 2016, will
launch in the second half of 2015 . This
potentially puts Office 2016 ahead of
Windows 10 in terms of release.
Keeping in touch
During the January 21 event, Belfiore
demonstrated its "continuum" approach to
computing with Windows 10 – not just
through different devices, but 2-in-1 products
as well. Using a Surface Pro 3, the OS chief
showed off what it will be like changing use
cases on a Windows 10 device.
When the tablet was connected to its
keyboard cover, the Surface Pro 3 acted as if
it were a laptop, which it technically is. Then,
as soon as Belfiore removed the keyboard, a
small icon appeared in the lower right of the
screen, asking him whether he'd like to
activate tablet mode.
Doing so changed all of the apps to full
screen, made icons slightly larger and
allowed users to access the Start screen a la
Windows 8, albeit much updated. As soon as
he reconnected the keyboard, the device
offered to revert back to its original mode,
which then repositioned and resized the
windows and icons as they were.
This ... is ... Spartan (browser)!
Belfiore went on to detail Project Spartan, the
company's revamp of Internet Explorer,
during the January 21 reveal event. He
detailed unique features, like the ability to
mark up webpages before sharing them with
others, and to comment on those same pages
at the software level.
Once pages are marked up with drawings and
comments, that page is frozen in time with
live links and open for sharing through
Windows 10's built-in sharing features.
Spartan will also support built-in offline
reading and PDF support, not to mention
Cortana.
post too long for the remaining visit link below

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-10-release-date-price-news-and-features-1029245

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