Windows 10 is familiar and easy to use, with lots of similarities to
Windows 7 including the Start menu. It starts up and resumes fast, has
more built-in security to help keep you safe, and is designed to work with
software and hardware you already have.
3. Windows 10 browser: Microsoft Edge
“This combines the strengths of Windows 8 with Windows 7.”
-Windows Insider
During development and in some Technical Preview versions, Edge was
known as Project Spartan. However, in the end, Microsoft said it had opted
for a name starting with “E” because of user familiarity with the “e” icon
from Internet Explorer, meaning they would know at a glance what the icon
in the taskbar represented.
Quick look on the specs
1. Windows 10 Start menu
After 10 years as the default Windows browser, Internet Explorer is finally
being retired, to be replaced by the new Mic rosoft Edge.
Having caused a great deal of upset by ditching the iconic Start menu with
Windows 8, Microsoft has apparently realised it is best not to mess with
a classic and reinstated it for Windows 10.
The Live Tiles appear alongside the traditional menu when a user clicks
on the Start button. They are set to feature Skype, Weather, Mail and
Store by default, but can be added to, swapped or even removed completely as desired.The background can also be customised, as can which
system applications appear in the traditional section of the menu.
For those who actually preferred the Windows 8 Start screen interface,
that is also available to launch from the Start menu.
2. Windows 10 Cortana
In feel and design, Edge is much more similar to Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox than its predecessor. Indeed, it has a level of interoperability
previously unseen in a Windows browser and can use Firefox and Chrome
extensions natively, although this feature will not be available at launch.
Other additions include the ability to annotate web pages and consult Cortana not just for search, but also richer features like restaurant reviews or
maps to a venue. She is also able to customise the information she presents
based on data gathered about the user’s interests over time.
Finally, there is the new tab layout, which will present suggested apps to
download from the Windows Store, based on user interest and behaviour.
It will offer varying degrees of detail ranging from plain icons through to
headlines from media apps, and will also show news from regularly visited or
subscribed sites, as well as a Bing search toolbar positioned at the very top.
Microsoft’s focus on continuity between Windows 10 devices also means it
is likely Cortana’s personalisation will be carried over from one device to
another, such as from laptop to smartphone, rather than it having to learn
everything separately again.
4. Windows 10 Continuum and multiple desktops
Cortana is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri virtual assistant. Named after the AI character from the flagship Halo franchise for Xbox, Cortana
first appeared on Windows Phone 8.1. Now, with Windows 10, she has
been incorporated into the desktop both as a search function within the
OS and in the new browser.
She can also be used to set reminders, alarms and open apps via voice
command.
Windows 10 comes with Cortana already installed and ready to go in the
UK, China, USA, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.