A Peek into Windows 8.1 Features

Windows 8 got some real bruising when it launched late last year and the team at Microsoft have scrambled to get some of consumers major grouses rectified. Windows 8 somehow undid all the good efforts brought on by Windows 7, but since there’s no going back, the least we can look forward to is improvements and enhancements to what we currently have on Windows 8. Microsoft has put together a nice little video and a blog post that showcases the changes its brings to its major update, Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 Video Promo

What to Expect in Windows 8.1

New Lock Screen

The New Windows 8.1 lock screen brings together a collage of images from your PC as well as your SkyDrive account offering a more personal touch to your lock screen customizations.

Start Screen Tile Sizes

Gone are the standard small and large start screen tile size options. You can now choose from a wider tile size option.

All Apps Screen

The next time you install an app on your Windows 8.1 PC, the app tile will not get automatically get added to the Start screen. Instead you will find it in the All Apps screen and can add only the ones you want to see and use to the Start screen from here. Additionally, the tiles on the All Apps screen can be sorted by date installed, most used, category, or by name.

Grouping Apps

Grouping apps on Windows 8.1 is a touch easier than it was in the earlier version. Just select as many tiles as you wish to group and drag them to create a group. A text field will automatically appear offering you the option to name the newly created group.

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Screen Background

You can now customize the Start screen background much the same way you would your desktop, either using the built-in images or using desktop themes.

Improved Search

Searching from the Search charm will now display web results as well as items on your PC. With results from all categories on your PC as well as from the web, your search results are not only unified but also more comprehensive.

Running Multiple Apps

Microsoft has made it much easier to run apps side by side. Its now easier to open apps side by side and adjust the size of each app window.

Saving to SkyDrive

Windows 8.1 will let you save files directly to SkyDrive.

That’s it folks. Consumers who have already purchased Windows 8 will receive this as a free upgrade later this year. June 26th is the date marked for the release of the preview edition.

Hope you do like the changes and enhancements coming to 8.1.

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