Best part: This update is free. And even in tablet mode, the trusty Start menu remains there to remind you this is still Windows you’re dealing with. And also, it’s the way Microsoft is accounting for Windows.
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While Microsoft does not break down the numbers, we do know that there were 5 million Windows Insiders which means that roughly 9 million consumers are seeing the OS for the first time on their machine. With Windows 8, that was limited to apps that hadn’t been adapted for touch – the ones kept in the basement, segregated from the newer apps. It sounds cosmetic, but it makes a big difference in fitting in with your workflow.
At the time of my testing, ahead of the public release of Windows 10, I encountered a number of bugs. A little sliding drawer appears on the side of the screen with information (news, definitions, headlines) about whatever you selected, without taking you away from the website. You get some functional improvements, such as a virtual marker to draw arrows or circle an entry on a Web page to share over email, Facebook and other means. With Windows 10, it’s a unified browser, so you pick up where you leave off if you switch modes. In one incident, Microsoft’s Edge browser blocked me for an entire night from using Google Mail, after mistakenly identifying it as a malicious website – though the next morning I was able to log in.
Windows 10 also lets users log in with their face, iris or thumbprint, instead of remembering passwords, though this works only with computers equipped with the right hardware. In Windows 10, it’s activated when a user chooses the “express” installation settings. In addition, IE will still be available for older websites that need it, but it will stay on the sidelines as Edge takes center stage.
Not everyone is alarmed by Wi-Fi Sense.
Microsoft says that Cortana will eventually be available as an app on devices running Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile software.
Cortana is integrated with the Edge browser, too. Click on Cortana, and up comes that same drawer, with information like Yelp reviews, the place’s hours, and a menu, if it has one.
Windows 8’s ridiculous “Modern UI”, the tablet-style interface that has no place on a computer, is now in the Start menu, but it’s actually quite nice. If you’re anxious you won’t like it, you can always go back to Windows 7.
Microsoft has been including these deeper security features since Windows 8.
A day after Windows 10 officially launched in 190 countries, Microsoft announced the official pricing in India for Windows 10. The upgrade will be free for up to a year – after that, Microsoft may begin charging for it.
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In addition, Microsoft is counting on Windows 10 to spur more use of other services. Back up your PC first. That is normally a good thing, especially as Microsoft plans to add features regularly, rather than wait for the next major release.
