I remember, it feels like just the other day, when Microsoft released Windows 8 and everyone hated it. Everyone. I did too when I realised certain things didn’t work. Though I didn’t hate it enough to fail to install it. I somehow loved the Start Screen that everyone seemed to dislike. Plus I loved the concept of Metro Apps and the Charms bar. Weird, I know. Liking what people hated. The live tiles, the colours and much more just made the OS look awesome for me. Updates slowly made it better and I stuck with Windows 8.1 and never had any issues running desktop apps. Metro Apps were painfully slow and irritating.
It is 2015 and Microsoft has released the Best Windows yet. I know, it should be. It’s about time. I didn’t have any prior access to Windows 10. I only read reviews online and commentaries from tech personalities who were Insiders and had the Preview versions. And of course, they did a good job in making me look forward to the ‘big’ launch on 29th. Plus it was free. Who doesn’t want free stuff?
I have only had Windows 10 for about 13 hours. But I feel obliged to share with you some of the things I really love. Here:
- Start Menu/Screen
This is obvious. Most people who have 8 or 8.1 still wanted their classic Start Menu. And it is back with a twist. I really love the new menu. You can make it bigger than it comes on default or you can even have it fully as a start screen like on 8 and 8.1.
- Increased Speeds
I even posted on Facebook. My computer has never been this fast. Windows 10 has made it better definitely in performance. Windows 10 x64bit version requires at least 2GB RAM, 1GHz Processor and at least 20GB free space on the hard disk.
- Action Centre
The new action centre is exciting! I keep clicking on it. It shows you your recent notifications and has various shortcuts you might need to quickly access. Looks pretty and appears where the Charms bar on Windows 8 and 8.1 was.
- Notifications
The new way to see notifications is also amazing. Instead of at the top, they are at the bottom. On the Settings App you can set timeouts, do not disturb, do not show notification while presenting and many other options that might suit you. This is a slight change but continuous use proves to you why it is very helpful and essential.
- Cortana
I’m saying nothing on Cortana because it refused to work on my personal laptop. Issues to do with region blah blah. But certain people have it and we are in the same region! Totally don’t get it. But I have used Cortana for Android and here are my impressions on it. I need it(her) on my comp.
- “Metro Apps on Desktop”
They load far much faster and are more beautiful and appealling. You would think they are normal desktop programs.
- New Apps
The new apps are bliss. Groove Music, Film and TV, Mail, Calender, News etc. I have also downloaded Twitter, Facebook, Maps, Flipboard among others. You can have so many of these Windows open and perfectly working together. It is sweet. And will be better when more apps appear on the Store.
- Multi-tasking on Tablet Mode
If you want full screen apps and perfect multi-tasking then have a tablet running Windows 10. Or a desktop (or even hybrid) on tablet mode. It is sweet. Looks good. Fluid. But will still need work to make navigation easier.
- Battery Saving Mode
Immediately you unplug the charger the option for battery saving becomes available. It dims brightness and maybe does other things in the background. It just feels very well thought of and perfectly placed. On my very first use I managed about 6hrs on fair use, but then again my battery is big.
- Black everywhere
Yep. All black everything. But you can switch and choose which colours you want. I’ll stick to Black and Blue and sometimes green. But Black does it for me.
Microsoft Edge, the new broswer is fluid and amazing to use. When Cortana becomes available, I am sure I will love it even more. But for now I’ll stick to my good old Chrome.
There are very very many more things on Windows 10. I could write and write and write. What stands out for you? Do you love it?
If you don’t have Windows 10 yet, are you considering getting your upgrade? Do so. You’ll love it.
Read the first post I did after getting Windows 10 here. It has a download link for Windows 10.
