Windows 10: The Ultimate User Guide in Using Your Windows 10 by Tony Brianson Read Free Book Online

Introduction
    Windows 10 is currently offering a free upgrade for qualifying Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 users. The upgrades will be free for those who qualify for one year from July 29 th 2015.
    Should you upgrade? That is the question that a number of users of the preceding Windows platforms have been asking.
    It is therefore important to carefully consider whether this is a good idea. First, it is important to look at the unique features that Windows 10 has compared to Windows 8 and the other preceding Windows versions.
    Unique features.
    The Start Menu
    One of the unique things that you’ll notice with Windows 10 as compared to Windows 8 is the return of the start button (The Start button at the bottom left corner of the screen). Many people, who have used different versions of Windows for years, have found Windows 8 confusing as it eliminates this classic feature.
    The designers of these features however, did take users back to pre-Windows 8 days. Instead there is a mix of full screen apps. You can easily navigate through the Start menu using a mouse or track pad. For individuals who use the touch screen may find Windows 8 design useful to navigate from one point on the screen to the other quickly.
    Desktop apps and Full Screen Apps
    Windows 10 can run both the classic desktop apps as well as the full screen apps that came with Windows 8. The Windows 8 apps, just like its start screen, were awkward to use with classic desktop computers that required you to use a keyboard and a mouse to navigate.
    Cortana
    After Siri, Google Now and Amazon Echo seem to be moving towards artificial intelligence. This intelligent digital assistant is being integrated into different types of devices. It has ceased to be part of sci-fi fantasy, and is now becoming more useful for day to day applications.
    Cortana is a digital assistant just like Siri and Google Now. Microsoft has made an effort to integrate search with more functionalities making it more useful. You can use it to set reminders, or find files on your computers, or search for information online.
    In Windows 10, Cortana has better algorithm earlier versions. For example, it can clearly differentiate between a local desktop search and an online search. It can intelligently figure out which of these locations it needs to search first.
    Additionally, it stores personal information every time you use it. It continuously learns what you are doing and improves its searches based on this information. The result is that it can eventually give you very accurate results in the blink of an eye.
    Edge Browser
    Since its inception, Windows has relied on Internet Explorer as its main browser. The browser has not had the best reputation. This pushed people to try a number of alternatives such as Chrome, Mozilla Firefox Etc. Now with Windows 10, Microsoft is hoping to change that.
    All these browsers that have been used as alternatives also have issues. Mozilla seems to slow down with new add ons. Even Chrome, which is one of the most widely used browsers, has its own issues.
    The Edge browser has unique features like the Hub feature, which brings together everything you collect on the web. This includes, favourites, history, bookmarks, and recent downloads. It also provides instant results, when you do your search from the address bar.
    Some preliminary tests have shown that the browser works much better then IE and can compete with other browsers like Chrome and Mozilla. However, tests done by technology firm CNET shows that Chrome and Mozilla still performed significantly better.
    Another study by Brandwatch shows that the browser is quite popular on social media. They analyzed about 7,000 posts from a sample of 1 million users on social media. The conclusion was 8 in 10 people had favourable views of the Edge browser.
    Gaming Features
    Another thing that Windows 10 has done is to provide more features for gamers. The Windows operating system and Xbox have eventually