New and Improved Features in Windows 10

New and Improved Features

in Windows 10

Every version of Windows comes with new features: Windows 95 introduced the Start

Menu; Windows XP saw the OS move to the much more stable NT kernel as well as

brought in major refinements to the user interface; Vista came with some major changes,

including a wholesale kernel upgrade, a new hardware driver model, and user account

control; Windows 7 introduced aero glass, snap, the new Taskbar, and the Action Center;

and Windows 8 introduced the Start Screen, Modern apps, and the addition of ARM

processor support.

Windows 10 is no different, and the list of new and improved features is both long

and significant. Indeed, it can safely be said that the list of new features is the greatest

that’s been seen in any Windows release thus far, and almost the entire focus is being

placed firmly on productivity.

I’m not going to detail every improved feature and new addition in this chapter, as

many of them fall into categories that are much better detailed elsewhere in this book

under more specific categories, such as end-user desktop features or business-specific

features. There are some major changes and additions, however, that need to be detailed

on their own, and in this chapter I’ll look at them in no particular order.

Cortana

Okay, I lied! I’m hugely excited about the inclusion of Cortana in Windows 10, and thus

it has to be detailed first. Cortana is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s Siri and Google Now,

in that it’s a personal digital assistant (originally to be called Judy, so I’m told, though its

beta name, taken from the AI computer in the Halo series of Xbox games, was so popular

with Windows Phone testers that Microsoft kept it).

Cortana first appeared in Windows Phone 8.1 in 2014 and has been slowly rolling

out to countries worldwide. Cortana does much more than answer basic search queries

and provide the latest news and weather updates. Already ahead of Apple’s Siri and

Google Now, Cortana can provide recipes and dietary information, automatically follow

parcel tracking information you’ve been emailed, and monitor flights and other travel

methods. She (I hate calling Cortana “It”) can set and modify reminders and calendar

appointments, as well as set reminders based on location, such as when you get home or Chapter 2 ■ New aNd Improved Features INwINdows 10 16 when you’re next in the city center. She can provide idle chit chat, sing you songs, tell you jokes, and even speak Klingon. This is the state of Cortana today, and her functionality is being expanded all the time with new features, some of which (such as being able to bark Klingon at you) aren’t actively promoted but were simply found accidentally by users. “So how does all of this help me become more productive on the desktop?” you ask. You might, for example, work in a busy office where talking to your PC is never going to be effective, or your PC might not even have a microphone, or you may just be uncomfortable with the prospect of striking up a conversation with the thing. Typing requests and commands into Cortana brings the same functionality as speaking to her, and being able to quickly ask what appointments you have in the coming week, or to have her reschedule your 3 o’clock appointment for 5, or to dictate to her an email for Sue in Accounts can save valuable time. Cortana can be found next to the Windows icon on the Windows 10 desktop Taskbar (see Figure 2-1), and will also likely be a Start Screen icon on tablets in the final release.   Figure 2-1. Cortana’s icon is a circle and is located next to the Windows button on the Taskbar  Note ■ It’s likely that Cortana will not be available in every country on windows 10’s launch, and this is certainly the case with the technical preview. If Cortana is not available to you yet, you will instead see a search (magnifying glass) icon next to the windows icon. When you open Cortana you will be presented with information that’s relevant to you (see Figure 2-2). An Ask me anything box at the bottom of her window is where you can type commands, search requests, and more, and next to this is a microphone icon that you can click to enable you to speak to her You will also be able to activate Cortana by simply saying Hey, Cortana while at your computer, though with this feature also reported to be coming to Windows 10 for Phones it remains to be seen how it’ll work should you also have your phone on your desk when you say this. I want to deal with search first in Cortana, as the search feature that Cortana brings to Windows is a significant improvement over previous Windows versions. When typing into the Ask me anything box, search results are immediately displayed and will include installed apps and win32 desktop programs, photos, music, video, documents, emails, settings, and websites (see Figure 2-3) You can click any item in these search results to open it, or, alternatively, clicking Search my stuff (or just pressing the Enter key) will display a more detailed contextual search box (see Figure 2-4). You can click any item in these search results to open it, or, alternatively, clicking Search my stuff (or just pressing the Enter key) will display a more detailed contextual search box (see Figure 2-4).     t’s with this contextual search box that the true power of search in Windows 10 is revealed. The box contains a tabbed interface, allowing you to easily and quickly switch your search between documents, apps, settings, photos, videos, music, email, and the Internet. This search facility combines those found in File Explorer and the Start Menu and improves on both while greatly simplifying the overall process. Managing Cortana’s Settings and Privacy You can manage Cortana’s settings and options very easily by clicking the hamburger icon (so called because it consists of three horizontal lines) in the top left of Cortana’s window. Here you can manage any reminders you have set (see Figure 2-5) and any places you want Cortana to know about (should you be using a laptop or tablet), as well as change overall settings, such as allowing Cortana to call you by your name and even turning the feature off altogether. In this age of personal privacy, data protection, and government spying, some of you might be uncomfortable with Cortana having access to all of your emails and other personal information. Cortana is designed to soak up all this information and learn more about you over time to make her more effect ive