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for
touch-oriented users to get an overview of what's running.
Microsoft also updated its Snap View multitasking feature to let you
dock windows to the four corners of your screen. While you could split
your display between apps before, the number of programs you could
have side-by-side was limited by your device's screen resolution. The
system will even suggest what other open apps you can use to fill up
available space, a feature called Snap Assist.

6. Universal Apps
To make the transition across devices more seamless, Microsoft is
introducing a new category of software called Universal Apps, which
use the same code but adapt their interface to the device in your
hand. The company is also bundling its own set of Universal apps with
the OS, including Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People & Messaging
and Mail & Calendar, which all function the same way on tablets,
phones and PCs. The content is stored and synced via Microsoft's
cloud service OneDrive so you can pick up where you left off on
another device.
Some of these apps, such as Photos, are brand new. Photos will pull
your images across your PC and mobile devices and organize, enhance
and sync them through OneDrive. The system even detects duplicates
and stores just one copy of the same image, and can automatically
create good-looking albums for you. The Mail app has also been
overhauled and will now be a version of Outlook, complete with an
editor based on Microsoft Word.

7. Office Apps Get Touch Support
A new version of Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will
provide a touch-first interface across phones, tablets and PCs. The
persistent function ribbon at the top of the apps is now an app bar
that shows up only when you need it. In Outlook, you'll now be able to
delete messages from your inbox by swiping each entry to the left.
Swiping to the right flags that message. The apps will look and
perform the same way on a PC as they do on a mobile device for a
more coherent experience.

8. Continuum
With the rise of hybrid laptop-tablet devices, Microsoft wants to make
it easier to switch between either mode. The system will detect if
you've plugged in a keyboard or mouse and switch modes for more
convenient interaction. If you remove the keyboard/mouse, a
notification will pop up from the task bar at the bottom, asking if you
want to activate Tablet mode. When you do, you are greeted with the
more touch-friendly profile. Dock your tablet into the keyboard again,
and you'll receive the same prompt, this time asking if you want to
exit Tablet mode.

9. Action Center
Windows 10 will provide a new way to look at all your notifications in
one place. The Action Center appears to replace the Charms menu
that slides in from the right on Windows 8 devices. It collects alerts
from your device from all your apps, similar to the notifications
drawers in iOS and Android. Depending on the app, you can also
respond or react from this panel itself, with each notification expanding
to show more actions. The Action Center also offers a quick way to
toggle connectivity options and other settings such as display
brightness and contrast.
10. Unified Settings / Control Panel
Instead of having two apps to control your device settings in Control
Panel and PC Settings, Microsoft is making things less confusing by
bringing them together in one. You'll be able to manage your device
from one place instead of hunting for a specific menu.
We expect more features to be announced as Microsoft gets closer to
publicly releasing Windows 10, so stay tuned for more info.

To be continue ...

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