Microsoft has such a gigantic line-up for 2015 that it needed its own event outside of the annual Consumer Electronics Show that happened just a few weeks ago. As we would have expected, the live event was focused on the new Windows 10. There were a few unexpected announcements from the event, which though unexpected, are widely welcomed as we’re privileged to show you below. Here’s what you should expect from Microsoft this year.
Windows 10 for free! We’ve been speculating on how the new operating system will be distributed. Now, we have a definite answer. The update will be free for owners of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. The company now sees its operating system as an Internet service, distributing future systems similarly. Be warned, though. Windows users have only one year to take advantage of the free update before paying for the upgrade.
The start menu returns! We’ve since known that the start menu will return, not repeating the mistaken absence from Windows 8. But we’ve been wondering what the start menu will look like. Microsoft still wants to integrate the live-tiled Window 8 home screen with the start menu. Expect live tiles. It will also come with an Action Center for quick toggle settings. It will also have a continuum feature for seamless transitioning from keyboard/mouse to touchscreen.
Xbox is equal to PC! Here’s the first of Microsoft’s unexpected announcements: an Xbox app that integrates PC gaming and Xbox gaming. PC gamers and Xbox gamers can play one and the same game while online. Oh, and Xbox exclusives will be playable on the PC through the app. Your PC is now your Xbox.
IE is dead! Long live Spartan! Well, not really dead. But Spartan may have very well killed the old geezer. Project Spartan is Windows’ new browser which will be shipped with the new operating system. Users will be able to mark webpages as with a pen and they can share and collaborate on the same page with other users. Users can also save webpages for future reading, even when offline. Microsoft’s Cortana is also integrated into Spartan.
Surface Hub for better collaboration! This huge 84-inch touchscreen computer isn’t for consumers but for enterprises. This screen will allow you to present a PowerPoint presentation while collaborating over Skype.
HoloLens! That’s right, holographic lens. At CES 2015, one of the most blockbuster announcements was HP Zvr Virtual Reality Monitor which allows users to see virtual reality images from the screen with a special lens. In the company’s most surprising announcement, Microsoft is developing a one-up to the VR monitor: the HoloLens. These aren’t restricted to a monitor. The images may as well be real things in the room. They will be fully manipulable through your vision, voice, and hand movements. Users will be able to design 3D designs, play an immersive game of Minecraft, and interact with Windows 10 through a head-up display. If you ask us, this is the most exciting piece of news from the event, and we’re pretty excited for the free Windows 10 upgrade already.
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