Windows 8 changes coming

Microsoft made big news last year with the highly anticipated introduction of Windows 8, the software giant’s newest operating system. After months of hype, along with six months of a special launch price, Win8 has received mixed reviews from users since the beginning of the year. Now, in response to criticism, Microsoft is bringing us Windows 8.1, with a preview available in late June 2013, and the full release of the FREE update scheduled for the end of the year.

What’s new in Windows 8.1?

The “Start” button is making a comeback! That’s right, of all the things users said about Windows 8, the loss of the Start button was perhaps the most annoying. In Windows 8.1, Microsoft demonstrates its willingness to listen by bringing back the button at the bottom left of the screen. The Windows logo will appear whenever the cursor is placed in the lower left corner of the screen and will always be visible on the taskbar when in desktop mode.

While it may not seem like much at first glance, the missing Start button was easily the number one complaint received about Win8 … Imagine.

New home screen and tile sizes

Perhaps Windows’ signature change when the new operating system became available last year, the tile-based start screen, designed for touchscreen systems, was the most obvious. While the tiles were an effort to make the new operating system easier to use, traditional users did not welcome them with open arms; those with keyboard and mouse.

With four tile sizes available in Windows 8.1, instead of just two in Win8, the update not only makes the Start screen more attractive, it has also made your apps easier to find and use. Additionally, users can now select multiple apps at once, resize, uninstall, or rearrange them to suit their needs. In other words, the home screen has been made fully customizable in Win8.1; a great improvement over Win8 for desktop users.

Additionally, the tiles can be easily rearranged for your convenience, using the new Press and Hold feature for touchscreens in Win8.1.

With Windows 8.1, the new Start screen is also a smart screen.

What else is new in the Windows 8.1 update?
While it is not possible to describe all the changes to the Windows operating system that will be available with the Win8.1 update that will be released later this year, here are some of the important changes that should be mentioned:

• New lock screen – The lock screen has been turned into a slideshow, including images collected from your PC, laptop or tablet, as well as SkyDrive and your phone.
• New screen of all applications -With a simple swipe up of your touch screen device, each application on your device is displayed for reading. You can also pin your most used apps to the home screen with the new press and hold for touch screens.
• New search results added – No longer a simple type and list function, Windows 8.1 presents users with aggregated search results; bringing together Bing web results, SkyDrive results, your own stored files, and any other information related to your search term. Microsoft calls these results “selected” and the search function really has to be seen to be believed.
• Customize your home screen – With multiple new backgrounds and wallpapers, as well as motion-sensitive graphics available, you can personalize your home screen like never before.
• Full SkyDrive integration – According to Microsoft, Windows 8.1 now lives “in the cloud” with improved integration with its online storage application, SkyDrive.
• Improved multi view function – With so many users multitasking on the screen, Win8.1’s new multi-view enhancement will please many users while Win8 frustrates them.

These are just a few of the many improvements to the operating system that Microsoft has confirmed are available with the upgrade to Windows 8.1. Not only will the update be available for all devices currently running Win8, but Windows RT operating system users, on Surface RT, for example, will also receive the free update; as do Windows Phone users and SkyDrive and Outlook.com users.

While it’s often not popular to compliment the Washington-based software giant, it must be said that Microsoft has responded well to Windows 8 users, using the Windows 8.1 update to clean up and improve the user experience available with the introduction of your latest operating system.