Six months after first unveiling key elements, Microsoft has launched the next iteration of its Windows Operating System, naming it Windows 10. And surprise, surprise! A company, generally not known for giving away things for free, says it will help all existing owners of legal versions of last two editions - Windows 7 and 8.1, to upgrade to the new edition for free! More information on free upgrade options can found at http://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld.
However, a day after shouting that the free upgrade had been launched in 190 countries ( including India), it seems, old habits die hard! Microsoft online stores quietly began offering priced versions of Windows 10 for users of Windows Vista or XP, for those wanting to switch over from a Mac, or those who may be assembling their own Windows PCs using any of the unloaded palm sized platforms available. You can buy Win 10 online from the Microsoft Store. The Home version is priced at Rs 7,999 and the Pro version with some tighter security is priced at Rs. 14,999. So Win 10 is a combo of free and fee, after all.
The new Windows also differs in being more like Software as a Service, kept automatically up-to-date with innovations and security updates. Windows 10 promises a seamless single experience across multiple contemporary platforms including PCs, laptops, tablets, phones, the Raspberry Pi pocket PC, Xbox One even HoloLens, Microsoft's new Virtual Reality device.
Even if you do opt to buy the new version, you have to download it from the web -- ie no CD. This is a real cost in itself. Microsoft says you need at least 4 GB and it is advisable to save the download on a thumb drive or burn a DVD as a backup. I downloaded the Tech Preview version some months back and that took me almost 5 hours at the real broadband speeds most of us get in India, forget the speeds we pay for .If you have Win 7 or 8.1 on a laptop or tablet, a better idea is to take it to any Microsoft retailer or to a chain stores like Croma, Reliance Digital, e-Zone, Vijay Sales etc. As long as the version on your device is legal they are obliged to upgrade it to Win 10 for you, for free.
Windows 10 is a case of Back to the Future. After hassling millions of users with the unfamiliar touch-optimised tile menu of Windows 7, Microsoft has restored the familiar start menu of Win 7 and reduced the tiled option to a single click option - the best of both worlds so to speak! If you are buying a new Windows PC, laptop or tablet, my suggestion is this: don't accept unless Windows10 has been installed. Don't fall for sales hype that the Windows 8.1 on the machine can be easily upgraded by you free of charge. If it is so easy, let them do it.
Even if you own a Win 7 or 8.1 device, I would recommend , don't all rush to upgrade . A Microsoft blog says 14 million devices were running Windows 10, a day after its launch. But I also read that Microsoft delivered 1 GB fix to take care of Win 10 glitches on Day 1 itself. I say, 'best of luck' to those 14 million. Their experience is going to inevitably throw up a lot more bugs. I would wait till most of the starting problems are fixed and upgrade my Win 7 machine after some 2-3 months. What's the hurry? Meanwhile, see box alongside for a quick take on the experience in store.
Hands-on Windows 10
Cool log-in tool:
You can set your fingerprint as the new Windows password. As long as you are running it on a device that support IR and fingerprint recognition, you no longer need to remember complex passwords. Setting your fingerprint as the password takes hardly a minute with the new Windows 10.
App-solute control
Windows has a widget-inspired menu palette that allows you to arrange, rearrange and display your favourite apps and software right next to the start menu. This is an interesting feature since you can always modify your important apps just by dragging and dropping them on the task view panel.
Windows 10 comes with an intelligent seek-and-remind feature that Google Now and Cards users will be very familiar with. Basically, Windows snoops your mailbox for air tickets, pending bills etc, and pulls out the information to display it on the home screen. If you are travelling to Paris tomorrow, it will display the weather in Paris and list of your appointments there.
The browsing Edge:
The new web browser, Edge, goes a step beyond conventional PC browsing, It comes with integrated screens for Bing web searches, a scribble pad where you can write, edit and paste content, and a mark-up option where you can copy/paste a section of the webpage, paste your comments next to it on a virtual stick-on pad, save the entire thing and email it to anyone.
Multiple views
We found one striking feature in Windows 10: Depending on the device and place where you are using the device, web pages that are optimized for Windows 10 have multiple, flexible view options. Suppose you are reading a long article in a flight, you can instantly switch over to a tablet reading mode optimized for lengthier reading, and even invert colour codes, increase/decrease brightness of text and alignment, all in real-time.
Mobile? Sometime soon
The mobile variant of Windows 10 will take a few months to come, but short of that, every other new feature in the new OS is optimized, keeping the smart phone user behaviour in mind. With Mobile Win 10 comes a new Office Mobile app for work on-the-go, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps.
Cortana? Na na,
One of the biggest selling points of Microsoft's new OS is not available in India yet. Cortana, the voice-enabled personal digital assistant hasn't learnt to say 'namaste' yet. The innovative tool, which snoops and seeks out the answer to any question you ask and finds anything that is sitting on your PC or on the Internet, is now available ,
only for Microsoft developers. When the developer community has generated enough India-specific content, Cortana be available for other Indian users.However, having tried out Cortana , we can vouch for the fact that it is quite an interesting tool if you are looking to find, say, a pizza outlet closest to where, or a JPEG file which you saved yesterday on your PC, as long as you ask for the information in decently neutral spoken English.
Desi apps in store
The app store of Windows 10 will soon host India-specific third-party applications. Zomato, BookMyShow, Jabong, Savn etc.
