Top 10 New Windows 10 Features

1. Start Menu ReturnsIt's

what Windows 8 detractors have been clamoring for, and Microsoft has

finally brought back the Start Menu. Now, when you click on the Start

button at the bottom left of the screen, you get two panels side by

side, with the left column showing pinned, recently and most-used apps.You

also get a power button at the top for options such as Hibernate,

Standby and Shutdown, and an all apps option a la Windows 8. The right

column features a selection of live tiles that you can customize, resize

and reorganize.  Not only that, but the search field at the bottom will

look up related Internet results in addition to programs and files (as

it did on Windows 7). Even better, you can have the Start Menu

expand to full screen whenever you want, eliminating the need for a

Modern UI Start Screen.MORE: 12 Dumbest PC Default Settings (and How to Change Them)2. Cortana on DesktopBeing

lazy just got a lot easier. Windows 10 will bring Microsoft's

voice-controlled digital assistant Cortana to desktop computers, to make

it easier for you to interact with your device without lifting a

finger.  You will be able to search your hard drive for specific files,

pull up photos from specific dates, or launch PowerPoint presentations

just by telling your PC to do so.  You can even get Cortana to send an

email while you're working on a spreadsheet, making multi-tasking much

easier. MORE: Windows 10 Brings Cortana to Desktop3. Xbox AppYou will soon be able to play any Xbox One game on your PC or tablet, with the Xbox app for Windows 10.

The new operating system will support Xbox game streaming (through your

home network), with improved speed and graphics performance thanks to

DirectX 12 support. The app also lets you record, edit and share your

fragging victories with the Game DVR feature, which lets you grab the

previous 30 seconds of your game so you don't miss unexpected wins.

You'll also be able to join your friends in games across Windows 10 or

the Xbox platforms, and see your friends' activity via Xbox Live4. Project Spartan BrowserForget

Internet Explorer. The long-derided browser will be replaced by the

newly announced Project Spartan. New features include PDF support, a

reading mode that improves the layout of long articles, and a new note

taking feature. The latter lets you scribble on any page and share your

comments with your friends through social networks via a slide-in menu

so you won't have to leave the browser. Better yet,  Project Spartan

will feature Cortana support within the browser, so she can pull

contextual information from the sites you're on to do things like

navigate to a restaurant you're looking up or pull up an upcoming flight

time without having to go into your email. MORE: Microsoft Unveils Spartan Browser With Cortana, Built-in Comments5. Improved MultitaskingAdvertisementA

new Multiple Desktops feature lets you run another set of windows as if

on another screen, but without the physical monitor. This is similar to

Apple's Spaces feature

on OS X, and helps you manage your multitude of open windows and

apps. Instead of having multiple windows open on top of each other on

one desktop, you can set up a whole other virtual desktop for those

programs to reside in. Set up one specifically for home and leave your

apps such as Netflix and Amazon open, and create another desktop for

work on which you keep Word, Excel and Internet Explorer open. With

the new desktops comes a new way to keep track of your open apps on

Windows 10. On the new operating system, you can either hit the new Task

View button on the task bar or swipe in from the left edge of the

screen to pull up a one-page view of all your open apps and files. It's

not much different from using the Alt-Tab combination shortcut on your

keyboard, but this presents a convenient way for touch-oriented users to

get an overview of what's running. Microsoft

also updated its Snap View multitasking feature to let you dock windows

to the four corners of your screen. While you could split your display

between apps before, the number of programs you could have side-by-side

was limited by your device's screen resolution. The system will even

suggest what other open apps you can use to fill up available space, a

feature called Snap Assist. 6. Universal AppsTo

make the transition across devices more seamless, Microsoft is

introducing a new category of software called Universal Apps, which use

the same code but adapt their interface to the device in your hand. The

company is also bundling its own set of Universal apps with the OS,

including Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People & Messaging and Mail

& Calendar, which all function the same way on tablets, phones and

PCs. The content is stored and synced via Microsoft's cloud service

OneDrive so you can pick up where you left off on another device. Some

of these apps, such as Photos, are brand new. Photos will pull your

images across your PC and mobile devices and organize, enhance and sync

them through OneDrive. The system even detects duplicates and stores

just one copy of the same image, and can automatically create

good-looking albums for you.  The Mail app has also been overhauled and

will now be a version of Outlook, complete with an editor based on

Microsoft Word.MORE: Windows 10 Photos vs Apple Photos: App Face-Off7. Office Apps Get Touch SupportAdvertisementA new

version of Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will provide

a touch-first interface across phones, tablets and PCs. The persistent

function ribbon at the top of the apps is now an app bar that shows up

only when you need it. In Outlook, you'll now be able to delete messages

from your inbox by swiping each entry to the left. Swiping to the right

flags that message. The apps will look and perform the same way on a PC

as they do on a mobile device for a more coherent experience. MORE: Microsoft Demos Office Apps for Windows 108. ContinuumWith

the rise of hybrid laptop-tablet devices, Microsoft wants to make it

easier to switch between either mode. The system will detect if you've

plugged in a keyboard or mouse and switch modes for more convenient

interaction. If you remove the keyboard/mouse, a notification will pop

up from the task bar at the bottom, asking if you want to activate

Tablet mode. When you do, you are greeted with the more touch-friendly

profile. Dock your tablet into the keyboard again, and you'll receive

the same prompt, this time asking if you want to exit Tablet mode. 9. Action CenterWindows

10 will provide a new way to look at all your notifications in one

place. The Action Center appears to replace the Charms menu that slides

in from the right on Windows 8 devices. It collects alerts from your

device from all your apps, similar to the notifications drawers in iOS

and Android. Depending on the app, you can also respond or react from

this panel itself, with each notification expanding to show more

actions. The Action Center also offers a quick way to toggle

connectivity options and other settings such as display brightness and

contrast.10. Unified Settings / Control PanelInstead

of having two apps to control your device settings in Control Panel and

PC Settings, Microsoft is making things less confusing by bringing them

together in one. You'll be able to manage your device from one place

instead of hunting for a specific menu.We expect more features to be announced as Microsoft gets closer to publicly releasing Windows 10, so stay tuned for more info.ows 10 Features