Today Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 8.1 will be released on October 17 in the U.S. and on October 18 in New Zealand. With the upgraded Windows operating system, Microsoft users will be afforded the opportunity to download and install the latest version for free through Microsoft’s Windows Store.
The new updated Windows 8.1, codenamed Blue, comes complete with a number of UI improvements, a new search interface, a slew of customizable apps, and a collection of cloud-powered functions. You can check out a video preview of Windows 8.1 released by Microsoft back in June below.
Check out the Windows 8.1 preview from Microsoft here:
The first new update shown has to do with the lock screen which pulls pictures from a user’s PC, SkyDrive, and Windows Phone device for a tailored OS before they start banging away on your computer. Microsoft is working hard to incorporate cross-device syncing on all of its devices, and cloud-powered lock screen is just a glimpse.
The start screen is also full of items to be customized 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.
Interestingly, Windows 8.1 will in fact include a start button, though no start menu. Visual cues will navigate the user to return to the start screen should they wish to, while booing up the device running 8.1 will provide the option to bypass the start screen entirely and land directly on the desktop.
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 the user to point 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 starlet’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.
Arguably the most engaging aspect of 8.1 is the ability for the user to multitask, more of a necessity than feature in today’s world of computing. 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.
Sound interesting? Let us know your initial thoughts on Windows 8.1 in the comments section below.
