Microsoft has finally started rolling out its newest platform, Windows 10. In the months prior to its release, the company has hyped up the upcoming version, making it the biggest update of the Windows operating system to date, and even labeling it as the "last Windows version."
How is Windows 10 different from its previous versions, and what are the new features included in the new platform?
Updated Start Menu
Many complaints on the previous Windows 8 and 8.1 versions focused on Microsoft doing away with the Start button. Instead of just bringing back the button in the new platform, Windows 10 instead features a much-improved menu. The Start button in the new version incorporates the Live Tiles feature, which displays information together with quick access to most-used and favorite apps, files, and controls.
Cortana
A new addition to the platform, Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Siri. The digital personal assistant helps users actively through both a typing interface and the voice-controlled "Hey Cortana" command. Since the feature is also built natively into the search system, Cortana also continually learns about the user's preferences and gives updates, reminders, and notices on its own.
Microsoft Edge
The previous Internet Explorer had become something of an online joke for most Windows users, and Microsoft decided to do away with it in the new version. Instead of just updating the browser, however, the company had built one from scratch – the new Edge.
Edge is a leaner, simpler version of a Web browser with built-in features for a more fluid user-Internet interaction. For instance, the new browser lets users jot down notes directly onto the web page. Also, Edge utilizes Cortana, combining quick search results with the assistant's learnt user preferences to provide useful information.
Windows Hello
Security-conscious users can use the new Windows Hello feature to further protect both their PCs and data. Aside from the fingerprint security, Windows 10 incorporates Intel's RealSense 3D cameras in some devices to get the contour of the owner's facial features and use the information such as the whole face or iris patterns as added authentication steps.
