Windows 8.1 Comes to PCs

Some of the new features announced include:

The Start screen in Windows 8.1 is more customizable with new tile sizes, new background designs and colors. You can also choose how you start your Windows experience, at the Start screen or the desktop. The Start button is back and there is an improved Apps view that allows users to see all apps.

Multi-tasking has been improved for Windows 8.1, you can now have up to four apps side by side with flexible windows sizing for each app on the screen. There is also improved multi-monitor support in Windows 8.1, allowing users to view their desktop or apps from the Windows Store on any or all their monitors.

Bing Smart Search is a unified experience that is built for touch, swipe or type. Search for a document on your PC, a photo album in the cloud, your favorite app, or a website.

Windows 8.1 comes with new and improved Microsoft apps and services. Skype is standard for instant messaging. Mail app has been greatly improved to make email easier for both personal and work email. Two new Bing apps are Food & Drink and Health & Fitness. News, Weather, Finance, Travel, Sports, Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps have been updated. Windows 8.1 also comes with Internet Explorer 11, which is optimized for touch and has performance improvements and synchronized browsing history, favorites, and settings across Windows 8.1 devices.

Windows 8.1 also comes with improved cloud integration with SkyDrive. Files are always accessible across all your devices. With SkyDrive smart files, you can create, edit, save and share files anywhere, anytime and your files are always with you.

The Windows Store has been redesigned in Windows 8.1. With the “New & Rising” section it is now easier to stay on top of the hottest and newest apps to hit the Windows Store. The Windows Store will also now provide you with personalized recommendations. And apps are now updated from the Windows Store automatically by default so you will always have the best and newest versions of your apps. Look for new and updated apps including Adobe Photoshop Express, Box, Evernote, Facebook, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and NOOK, for Windows 8.1.

From my experience of using Windows 8.1, the new interface is extremely smooth on a tablet. Using it on a PC is also far less awkward than it was before, mostly thanks to the Start button and an option to have the Start screen have the same background as your desktop, making the transition far less jarring. There are a multitude of performance and other improvements that make it much easier to recommend if you\'re still using Windows 7 or an older operating system.

If you have Windows 7 or older, several upgrade options are available. To get 8.1 if you have Windows 8, just click on the Store app.

Marcin Skok
Tech Talks