One update in the Anniversary Edition is a collection of small changes to the Start menu. Previously, the Start menu displayed your most recently used apps and a selection of icons for common items including File Explorer, Settings, and Power. Clicking All Apps showed an alphabetized list of all installed apps. In the new Start menu (Figure 1.10), the Start menu by default shows your most-used apps and recommended apps, along with what was formerly the All Apps menu. Buttons at the left edge of the Start menu give you access to your account, Settings, and Power.
FIGURE 1.10 The Start menu has been updated.
Action Center updates
Like the Start menu, the Action Center sees a bit of a change in the Anniversary Edition. You'll find Cortana now integrated into the Action Center, where it can offer alerts and notifications on things like stocks, sports scores, and more. The Action Center layout is also improved, grouping notifications so that a single, chatty app doesn't fill the Action Center and hide notifications from other apps.
Notification badges
Universal Windows Platform apps can now display information on their taskbar icons. For example, a UWP mail app could display the number of new messages in your Inbox. Note that notification badges are not available for legacy Windows desktop apps, or for Windows apps that are not developed as UWP apps.
Taskbar calender
The taskbar calendar is improved in build 1607 to add meetings and events, as shown in Figure 1.11. You can view the items in the calendar, or click on an item to open it in a window, as shown in Figure 1.12.
FIGURE 1.11 The taskbar Calendar is much improved.
FIGURE 1.12 You can open calendar items from the taskbar.
Pin apps to all virtual desktops
Virtual desktops in Windows 10 enable you to create multiple workspaces in Windows, each with its own set of apps. Previously, an app in Windows 10 appeared only on a single virtual desktop. With the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, you can pin an app to all virtual desktops, which is useful when you want to keep a particular app visible and easily accessible from every virtual desktop. To pin an app in this way, press Windows Key + Tab to open the Task View, then right-click the app and choose Show This Windows on All Desktops.
Edge improvements
Edge, the new web browser introduced with the initial release of Windows 10, gets some welcome improvements in the Anniversary Edition. For example, Edge now supports extensions. This capability enables developers to extend Edge with new features, such as ad blocking and enhanced experiences for certain sites like Amazon. To add extensions, click the ellipsis in the upper right corner of the Edge window and choose Extensions. Then, click Get Extensions from the Store. Figure 1.13 shows the Store with Edge extensions available as of this writing.
FIGURE 1.13 Use extensions to add new features to Edge.
Xbox Play Anywhere
This new feature enables you to buy a game from the Store and play it on a Windows 10 PC as well as an Xbox One console, with settings, game saves, and other game data moving from device to device along with the game itself. Games must be specifically written to support Xbox Play Anywhere, but this new feature will be a welcome addition for gamers.
And more
Windows 10 Anniversary Update offers many more new features in addition to the ones covered in this chapter. For example, a Dark Theme is now available for users who want a darker color scheme. This feature is particularly helpful if you use your device in darker environments. An Activation Troubleshooter helps you work through Windows activation problems. Some additional features for Windows Ink improve the user experience when using a stylus. Cortana also has several enhancements and improvements, not only making it function better but also integrate within more apps.
You'll find additional enhancements and new features scattered throughout Windows 10. What's more, a host of new features have also been announced for the next Windows 10 update, named the Windows 1 °Creators Update, due out in early 2017. With the new Windows 10 release model, you can be sure to see new features appear throughout the year.
Wrapping Up
Windows 10 is by far the most significant change in the Microsoft operating system ecosystem, potentially rivaling the shift from DOS to Windows in the early days of the PC.
This chapter scratched the surface of what's new in Windows 10. Some of the topics, such as HoloLens, Surface Hub, and Windows 10 IoT are not covered in detail in this book. Instead, we focus on helping you understand how to interact with and get the most from Windows 10 on your PCs and tablets. Where appropriate, we cover mobile devices and the key features that Windows 10 brings to these devices.
Your next step is to dive into Windows 10 and become familiar with the user interface. Chapter 2, “Navigating the Windows 10 Interface,” helps you do just that. So, turn the page and dive in!
CHAPTER 2
Navigating The Windows 10 Interface
If you've been using previous versions of Windows for a while, you're no doubt familiar with the Windows desktop and how to work with Windows and Windows applications. If you've been using Windows 8.x, you'll find the transition to Windows 10 easy. If you've been using Windows 7 or earlier, however, you may find the Windows 10 interface very different. Gestures such as swipe, tap, tap and hold, slide, and so on may be foreign concepts. Fortunately, Windows 10 uses many of the same general gestures and actions you find on other touch-based devices. So, the Windows 10 interface should feel familiar to you.
If you don't have much experience with touch interfaces, this chapter gets you up to speed. You learn to navigate through the Windows 10 interface, use modern Windows apps, and even work with that familiar Windows desktop! Armed with some basic concepts, you'll be navigating the Windows 10 interface like a pro in no time.
If you've been using Windows 8.x for a while and are new to Windows 10, this chapter helps you understand the changes that Microsoft introduced in Windows 10. These changes make Windows 10 easier to use, particularly for those of us who missed the Start menu in Windows 8.
NOTE
The interface in the Anniversary Edition of Windows 10 is slightly different from the initial Windows 10 release. This chapter assumes you are running the Anniversary Edition.
Introducing the Windows 10 Interface
The interface introduced in Windows 8 and fine-tuned in Windows 8.1 represented a shift toward touch-based interaction with the Windows operating system and applications, driven in large part by the growth of the tablet and handheld device markets. Although Windows 10 continues that touch-based focus, the Windows 10 interface is not only about touch; it's also about simplification and putting data and applications within easy reach. In addition, Microsoft has melded the positive aspects of the new interface with the Start menu familiar to users of Windows 7 and earlier versions.
If you have configured Windows Hello on your device and it has a Windows Hello–compatible camera, Windows 10 tries to recognize you and log you on automatically. If not, Windows 10 displays the Windows 10 logon screen (see Figure 2.1), which you use to log in to the device. Although Chapter 3 explains how to log in and out of Windows, we cover it briefly