Hands on with Windows 10's new features

This post was originally published on Mashable.

Microsoft unveiled Windows 10, the long-awaited follow-up to Windows 8 earlier this week.

The latest version of Windows walks back some of the more jarring changes of Windows 8, including the return of the Start menu and improvements to how apps are displayed, while also adding multitasking enhancements that will appeal to those who use touchscreen devices as well as PCs.

Microsoft's Joe Belifore shows off the first preview of Windows 10 in San Francisco, Photo: Mashable

But while Windows 10 will be a welcome change to those users who were turned off by the "mobile first" approach of Windows 8, the latest version of Windows hardly feels like a step backward.

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With Windows 10, Microsoft has managed to preserve some of Windows 8's Metro touches while also adding new multitasking features and other usability enhancements likely to bring enterprise and desktop power users back to the Windows fold.

We got a chance to demo some of Windows 10's new features, and here's our first impressions of what we saw.

The Start menu is back

Yes, the Start menu so many missed in Windows 8 has returned (hopefully for good). Though Microsoft first announced the return of the Start menu earlier this year at Build, the company's annual conference, the longstanding (and previously much-missed) menu was undoubtedly the star of Tuesday's event.

It will be present on both touch devices and more traditional "mouse and keyboard" setups. The left column looks much like the traditional Windows 7 Start menu— complete with jump menus— and contains your most frequently used apps, including Windows desktop apps and Windows Store apps.

The right column houses customisable live tiles. You can add any app's live tile to that column at any time by simply dragging it over, although apps that don't have live tile functionality will be a shortcut rather than a fully functional live tile. Alternatively, those who don't like the Metro look of the live tiles can forgo them altogether.

The Start menu itself can also be resized endlessly and you can add as many live tiles as you want. In Windows 10, the size of the Start menu is really only limited to the size of your monitor. The demo we saw was surprisingly fast and the menu was responsive, even when dozens of live tiles were added at once.

Additionally, the bottom of the menu has a spotlight-style search tool that will search locally for apps and files on your machine but will also search the web via Microsoft's Bing search engine. The same search tool also lives in the task bar.

Multitasking

With Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing some truly powerful multitasking features that will be a big draw to enterprise and average consumers alike.

The biggest addition is Task View, a new multitasking feature for easily switching between apps and desktops. Task View, which will look familiar to those accustomed to Mission Control in OS X, can be activated with the new Task View button on the task bar or by swiping left when using a touchscreen device.

While in Task View, the size and orientation of windows is preserved, so you can preview how windows are positioned in different desktops. You can also add new desktops or toggle between apps with the alt + tab command while in Task View.

In our limited testing, Task View worked seamlessly and we were able to quickly and easily switch between multiple applications. While the addition of multiple desktops will certainly be appealing to power users who use two or more monitors, anyone can use multiple desktops at once.

New windows

To further aid with multitasking, Microsoft has also rolled out several improvements to how the windows themselves work. One of the biggest complaints with Windows 8 was the inability to resize apps from the Windows Store, which ran in full screen, regardless of what kind of device you were using.

In Windows 10, apps from the Windows Store open in resizable windows that can be closed or minimised to the task bar with the familiar title bars.

Additionally, Microsoft has added handy shortcuts for resizing windows. Dragging a window up to the top of the screen will snap it to full size, while dragging it to one side will snap it to that half of the display. You can have up to four applications snapped to the same window at once

What's Next

While we saw many appealing Windows 10 features in our preview, there are still many more features we haven't seen yet. And, given that this was just the first preview build, it's hard to know exactly what the final version of Windows 10 (expected in 2015) will look like.

But the features we have seen are quite promising, particularly for those who were unsatisfied with Windows 8's emphasis on touchscreen devices. Microsoft has undoubtedly shown they are willing to listen to what their users want

Those who are okay with taking the risks preview software entails can sign up for the opportunity to be part of Microsoft's Insider program and be among the first group to get their hands on Windows 10.

Mashable is the largest independent news source covering digital culture, social media and technology.

Maasai Dressing And Jewellery

Maasai Villager

Maasai villagers in traditional clothing and jewellery in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

PhotoGrafit Imagining

Dzidzo inhaka youpenyu

Pane Achiri kurangarira Nhaka Youpenyu here. Way back in time. Bhuku 3 rakanyorwa na Gabriel A. Matindike.

Imaine this. on your way to see the dentist and you got stuck in traffic. not for an hour or two or ten hours. But for a long 10 days.

This happened in China in 2010 August, 14. This is clearly confirmed by Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_National_Highway_110_traffic_jam


Now think again. Driving, Traffic.... I will get a bike.

Did You Smile Today.....

A smile is an inexpensive way to  improve your looks. 

Did You Smile Today.....

Flamethrower: 1998 Anti-hijack for South Africa

In the late 90s, South Africa made great strides, as a nation just liberated from colonialism, emerging from the entrapment of their political situation, and searching for a new national identity. However, somewhere along the way, it rose to the top of the list as the most crime-ridden country in the world and carjacking in South Africa was at an all time high. This serious security risk on the roads led to the invention of the 1998 BMW Blaster, also known as the Flamethrower.

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Peter Andrews (1998)

The Flamethrower was invented within legal bounds, considering that in South Africa, it was and still is legal to use force in self-defense. Invented by Charl Fourie, it was fitted with an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) flame-thrower on both sides, below the doors. By flipping a switch, the driver could blast a scorching flame into the face of any intruders forcing their entry into the car through the windows or the doors. The blast, while hindering the intruder, would cause no damage to the car itself.
With criminals brandishing knives, guns, and ready to use them, you could not really worry too much if the 1998 BMW Blaster scorched them blind. That would mean one or two carjackers less for the public to deal with. While the inventor claimed that the blast of fire would not kill but only blind the assailants; critics argued that criminals would opt to murder the driver first before taking the car.
For many would be buyers, the argument then was whether it was necessary or not. Where did the bigger risk lie? With or without the 1998 BMW Blaster there is a risk you may lose your life either way.  Well, maybe we had better leave that to human rights activists, but if you have ever been carjacked anywhere in Africa, you certainly know that the criminals are not the “Excuse me ma’am, I would like to use your car please” types. You are the only obstacle standing between them and the car.

First buyer of the 1998 BMW Blaster and why it was shelved

Only a person who has been in the thick of things could tell what an important invention the flamethrower was. Superintendent David Walkley of the Crime Intelligence Unit of Johannesburg opted to have it with all its risks, rather than not having it all and drive around unprotected in the crime ridden streets of Johannesburg. Between 1998–2001, only a few hundred of the BMW Blaster had been sold. Unfortunately, the high cost of the flamethrower did not encourage many buyers and eventually, the device had to be shelved, contrary to false reports that it was banned.
With the high rates of carjacking in South Africa, the ability to blast scorching flames for up to 5 meters, certified legal and very easy to use, one would think that the device would make millions in sales, but Fourie had to pull the device out of the market and instead started selling a smaller, handheld flame-thrower device.
Carjacking rates in South Africa have since dropped, but not enough not to warrant the use of anti-hijack antics like the 1998 BMW Blaster.