Microsoft Windows 10 has been analysed countless times since launching, and many will continue to do so as tens of millions more people download it for free across the world.
Although flawed in its own ways, the latest version of Windows has its perks both for the average laptop user and the more qualified business IT support services in London and beyond. For those of you who haven’t uploaded this latest version yet, here are a few of the handy features it comes with.
The much-missed Start menu feature has returned, this time with updated graphics and the ability to go full-screen. It looks like a vague hybrid between the tile-laden Windows 8 screen and its predecessor, the Windows 7 start menu, although Microsoft allows you to switch to the Windows 8-style screen if you prefer it by forcing your laptop into its tablet mode. To do this, open the settings option and click ‘Personalisation’. Under Start behaviours you’ll find the option to revert to a full-screen menu when in desktop mode.
Intended as a rival to Google Now and Siri, Cortana sits next to the Start button as one of Microsoft’s main features in its latest model. Marketed as your “clever personal assistant”, the features helps you manage your calendar, find things on your PC, find files and numerous other functions. It does this through speech-recognising software, reacting to commands you give and carrying out searches for you. The extent of these commands is quite vast: among its more unusual features is the ability to show the most recent football scores and even tell jokes. It has its uses for those who struggle to type due to arthritis or other conditions, as well as for others who are simply tired of using the keyboard.
A definite perk for gamers, the latest version comes installed with the most up-to-date Xbox app, with features including the ability to control your Xbox console as well as a DVR capture for all Windows games. On top of this, you can also play multi-player games across the two platforms – mixing up the experiences of Xbox One and PC playing – alongside being able to stream games from the console onto the laptop screen.
Microsoft Keilaranta I by Northsky71 licensed under Creative commons 5
