Just a year after Microsoft previewed the upgrade overhauls to its Windows operating system, the Redmond, WA-based software giant is at it again. This morning Microsoft released a video preview of Windows 8.1 ahead of its Build conference on June 26 where the company is expected to give in-depth demonstrations of their latest OS.
The video preview depicts a number of UI improvements, a new search interface, a slew of customizable apps, and a collection of cloud-powered functions.
The first new update shown is on the lock screen which pulls pictures from your PC, SkyDrive, and Windows Phone device for a little personalization before you start banging away on your computer. Microsoft is working hard to incorporate cross-device syncing on all of its devices, notably with the Xbox One gaming console, and cloud-powered lock screen is just a glimpse.
The start screen is also full of items to be tailored specifically to your wants and needs. New tile sizes can be applied to all apps–mail, calendar, weather, etc.–to make them more pronounced or efficient with large and small sizes to keep your desktop as beefed-up or clutter-free as you prefer. A new rainbow of colors bolsters originality while the user can also set the wallpaper behind the start screen apps.
Swiping upwards on the start screen navigates the user towards the all-apps screen. Here, the user can sort their apps by most used and most recent while also pinning them back to the start screen for quicker access. Simply press and hold the app which will then prompt you to pint to the start screen. The user can then select as many as the apps or other tiles as they see fit, and sort and label the selections in a new group on the start screen.
The new search interface could arguably be the most exciting feature thus far exhibited on Windows 8.1. The engineer in the video illustrates the search power by using Marilyn Monroe as an example. He types the startlet’s name into the search bar and it renders an aggregation of both web and PC content while also pulling links, images, and web results into one curated app-like experience.
The last intriguing aspect of 8.1 per the video is the ability for the user to multitask. Putting two apps side-by-side on the screen is nothing new, but full functionality of both is a novel concept, especially when the user can choose the spacing and size between the two apps. This can allow the user, for example, to pull up their email and slideshow of photos they wish to include while curating both at the same time.
Microsoft is slated to demo its Windows 8.1 OS at its Build conference on June 26 which would put the release right on schedule with last year’s Windows 8 release in the fall. Price has yet to be determined but stay tuned to BostInno for the latest Microsoft and Windows info.
Check out the video preview of Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 operating system:
