What was announced at the January 21st event – Microsoft revealed its own Glasses and… said something about Windows 10
“We don’t want you to need Windows, we want you to choose it and love it,” said Microsoft. But everything that was said about Windows 10—even the free upgrade for millions of users—was forgotten when an image that seemed like the stuff of science fiction was unveiled. Microsoft’s HoloLens “broke the glass that separates us from technology” and brought before the eyes of the public a mix of the digital and the real world, allowing the user to interact with holograms of people, characters, and objects in their own, real environment. See what the company presented at the January 21 event.
Windows 10 upgrade free for the first year – Upgrades for subscribers, support for everyone
Microsoft has announced its decision to make the Windows 10 for the first year of release to all Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 users (on smartphones, tablets and PCs). When asked questions to the Microsoft chief, it became clear that the model Microsoft is proposing for Windows is subscription-based, “as has been the case for years with Office or Photoshop” - the first year of use will be free and then, as long as the user pays their monthly subscription, they will receive upgrades. Microsoft will provide support for Windows 10 “forever” to everyone. Although the company did not announce the release date of Windows 10, current information places it in the fall of 2015.
Cortana omnipresent
Particular emphasis was placed on the upgraded role of Cortana, the digital assistant already familiar to Windows smartphone owners. With Windows 10, she will also serve PC users with voice commands and dictation (Apple Siri is not available on Mac), while she will also be present in the successor to Internet Explorer, Project Spartan.
During the demonstration, Cortana responded successfully when instructed to send an email to a person in the user's contacts, dictating the message text and successfully sending it. Cortana has unlimited freedom to access the user's digital content to best serve them and can search their disk or OneDrive to respond to their requests. For example, she can take charge of playing music or search for a document that needs to be sent via email.
Game from Xbox One to PC and tablet
Part of the presentation also covered improvements Microsoft is making to the gaming experience across all of its devices. Xbox One gamers will be able to play team games with PC users. They will also be able to play games from their Xbox One library on a PC or tablet with this version of the operating system (live streaming from Xbox One to PC or tablet).
Windows 10 for smartphones in February
Regarding the use of Windows on smartphones, the company announced the arrival of Word, Excel and PowerPoint with collaborative document, spreadsheet and presentation editing capabilities on Windows 10 for these devices, the first version of which is expected in February.
Microsoft Surface Hub for faster and more efficient meetings
The company also had surprises in store for businesses by presenting new hardware, the Microsoft Surface Hub, a computer hidden inside an 84-inch screen, with a camera, sensors and microphones, that can pull content and apps from Windows 10 devices. The purpose of the Surface Hub is to serve the purpose of holding group meetings in the business environment with the virtual participation of multiple users with Skype for Business and access to a multitude of Windows 10 apps.
Microsoft HoloLens: Microsoft's Glasses break the glass that separates us from the digital world
The most impressive moment of the presentation was when the company revealed a project that has been underway for years in Redmond with the assistance of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "the people who really have their eyes on the stars," a sharp jab at Google, which recently announced the end of the Google Glass distribution program to the general public, turning its attention to Glass at Work.
Microsoft has built its own glasses, the Microsoft HoloLens, which will serve the vision of blending the digital world with the real world, bringing holograms to life with which the user can interact.
On stage, the company showed what the user sees when wearing the HoloLens Glasses and how it creates holograms with ready-made software, Holo Studio.
The user built a multicopter with Holo Studio by selecting, joining, and adjusting the position, size, and color of its 3D parts. The 3D model was printed with the user's 3D printer and flown on stage, suggesting that the Holo Studio creation was fully functional. Microsoft HoloLens technology will be utilized by JPL to bring images from the Mars mission to life in July 2015.
S. Nadella: "We want you to love Windows"
This was the first major presentation from the work being done at Microsoft under the leadership of new CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella said that the release of Windows 10 will be a milestone in the history of Windows, as it transforms the operating system used by 1.5 billion people into a “service from the cloud” (he himself has repeated many times that his goal is to make the company “mobile first, cloud first”). Finally, Nadella closed the event by saying that he wants to make users “love Windows.”
Source: tech.in.gr
