Why Windows 10 Is 'The Last Version Of Windows'

Why Windows 10 Is 'The Last Version Of Windows'

By   20:38   2 comments:

The statement came from Microsoft employee Jerry Nixon, a self proclaimed ‘developer evangelist’ who stated: "Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10." If this sounds strange, Microsoft didn't help. The company today stepped forward to defend Nixon’s comment to The Verge saying it was “reflective” of the company’s opinion.

 

So what is going on? Is Windows 10 really the end? No. Windows is not going anywhere. What is now clearly and undeniably changing, however, is how Microsoft will brand, develop, update and expect us to pay for Windows after Windows 10.

 

“Windows will be delivered as a service bringing new innovations and updates in an ongoing manner, with continuous value for our consumer and business customers," explained Microsoft in its full statement to the Verge. “We aren’t speaking to future branding at this time, but customers can be confident Windows 10 will remain up-to-date and power a variety of devices from PCs to phones to Surface Hub to HoloLens and Xbox. We look forward to a long future of Windows innovations.”

 

Extract the marketing speak and what the future appears to be is ‘Windows’ - no version number, just ‘Windows’. This will be a single, homogenous entity powering all hardware Microsoft has and delivering an ongoing stream of updates. These updates may technically carry code numbers or names, but they won’t be heavily flagged and most users will simply see themselves as running ‘Windows’ - a platform which is always the latest software Microsoft has to offer. That means no more XP, 7, 8.1 or 10 and maybe software which runs iOS and Android apps

 

But now it is becoming increasingly clear that under the new vision of an all encompassing ‘Windows as a service’ this will not and cannot be the case. Or can it?

 

Microsoft’s wording suggests that in being “the last version of Windows” Windows 10 must transform into the all encompassing ‘Windows’ during its life cycle. If not it wouldn't be the last major version of Windows, the subsequent everlasting ‘Windows’ would be.

 

So how will Microsoft decide where to draw the line with ‘free’? It is highly unlikely that those who move to Windows 10 within the first year will not be charged for a Windows update, upgrade or major new feature ever again.

 

Personally I think Microsoft will have a fixed point in mind, perhaps much like Apple AAPL +0.26% does when it draws the line on which devices will get the next major version of iOS. In other words: the software is free until it’s not… so cross your fingers!

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How to use File History in Windows 10

How to use File History in Windows 10

By   23:53   3 comments:

Windows 10's File History is an easy way to get started with backing up your personal files. The feature takes snapshots of versions of your files and stores them on an external hard drive. Over time, you build up a library of past versions that you can recover if need be.

For example: You really liked a sentence from the first version of a document, but you deleted it long ago and are now battling with regret. You can dip into File History, retrieve the right version of your document, and copy the sentence.

In Windows 10, you can still get at File History from the Control Panel, but there's also an easier way via the Settings app. To access this version, open the Settings app and go to Update & Security > Backup.

Nobody likes to think about it too much, but backing up your data is an essential part of owning any Windows computer. Since Windows 7, Microsoft has offered a relatively easy backup solution called File History that grabs a copy of any recently modified files every hour (or more frequently if you’d like) and stores them in an external drive connected to your PC. It’s an easy way to make sure your essential documents are backed up.

Then if you ever need to recover a file or set of files File History gives you quick access to them. You can even use File History to gain access to a file as it looked at a specific point in time such as two weeks or a month earlier.

 

Important! File History doesn’t do a complete backup of your PC including system files. Instead, it watches the data in your user account such as your documents, photos, and video folders. Nevertheless, if you have a Windows 10 PC and aren’t backing up yet, I’d highly recommend setting up File History.

Here’s How to use File History in Windows 10

 

Before you do anything make sure you have an external hard drive connected to your PC. How big that external hard drive needs to be depends on how many files you have on your PC. With hard drive prices so cheap these days it’s easiest to use a drive with at least 500GB. That way you can keep several backups of your files and access multiple past versions of items that change frequently.

Activating File History

File History in Windows 10 begins in the Settings app.

Click the Start menu, open the Settings app, and then click Update & Security. On the next screen in the left-hand navigation panel click Backup. Next, in the main viewing area of the Settings app click Add a drive under the heading “Back up using File History” as pictured here.

Click that and a panel will pop-up showing all the drives connected to your PC.  Choose the one you want to use for File History and you’re done. Now under the File History heading you should see an activated slider button labeled “Automatically back up my files."

It's that easy

You can customize File History.

If all you want to do is create a backup solution and never think about it again, then you’re done. Just keep your external drive connected to your PC, or plug it in every so often, and you’ll get a backup of all your personal files.
For those who want a little more control, however, click More options under the File History heading as pictured here.

Customizing File History

You can customize which folders you backup with File History.

On the next screen you’ll see your various backup options. At the top are options for how frequently (or not) you want File History to save a new copy of your files. The default is every hour, but you can set it to happen every 10 minutes or as infrequently as once a day.

There’s also an option for determining how long you want to keep your File History backups. The default setting is to keep them “Forever,” but if you want to save space in your external hard drive you can have your backups deleted every month, every two years, or when space is needed to make room for new backups.

Scroll down further, and you’ll see a list of all the folders File History backs up. If you want to remove any of these folders click once on them and then click Remove.

To add a folder click the Add a folder button just below the "Back up these folders" heading.

Lastly, there’s an option to exclude specific folders in case you want to be sure that File History never saves data from a specific folder on your PC.

Those are the basics for using File History. If you every want to stop using File History scroll down to the very bottom of the backup options screen and under the heading “Back up to a different drive” click Stop using drive.

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Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM Features, Pros and Cons

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM Features, Pros and Cons

By   22:35   1 comment:

With a stunning 5.7” Quad HD display and a powerful octa-core processor, it’s the Lumia most have been waiting for. Get the phone that works like your PC and push the limits of what’s possible. Here are some of the features of Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM.

 

One Windows experience

Apps, games, and music are in one place with the brand new Windows Store and Cortana sends helpful reminders to all your Windows 10 devices. Office apps are easy to use on any screen size and Outlook Mail has the same rich editing tools as Microsoft Word. From Excel to entertainment, Windows 10 keeps your digital life in sync across devices

 

Superior Performance

With an octa-core processor and a 5.7” Quad HD display, it’s the most powerful phone we’ve ever built. With USB-C Fast Charging, an extra-large battery, and wireless charging, it’s pure power that’s easy to charge. Demanding apps, serious games, and the creativity tools you love – get a Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM and discover exciting new ways to do great things.

 

 

Fantastic photos

The moments you want to remember happen so fast. That’s why we designed a 20 MP sensor that automatically reduces motion blur for sharper, more detailed photos. And with unique features like triple LED natural flash and Rich Capture auto mode, challenging lighting conditions won’t stop you from turning magic moments into precious memories.

Windows Continuum

Connect your Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM to a Microsoft Display Dock and use it with an external monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. Office apps and Outlook scale up to create a big screen-optimized work environment that makes you more productive. It’s a PC-like experience that’s powered by your phone.

Before getting started please note that Its a little bit lengthy review ,but I can guarantee you that its worth your time.I would feel much appreciated if my review was helpful.Also please note that I am not a fanboy to any brand.I am just a tech enthusiast with years of experience in Windows phone.

 

The Microsoft Lumia Flagship was the most anticipated windows phone of 2015. Rumours started up with the launch of Lumia 940 ,which was then cancelled and ended up in the launch of 950. Exactly as the case with windows 9. The main reason to love windows phone is the amazing battery life, 36 months promised updates and of course the premium camera sensors that came way from Nokia Days.

 

Now coming to the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual, Here is a quick look up on the specification of Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM

 

1. 5.2 Inches, 2560 x 1440, 564 ppi, OLED ClearBlack Display
2. Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Hexa-Core, 1.8 Ghz Processor
3. 20 Megapixel, PureView, Zeis Lens, OIS enabled Rear Camera
4. 5 Megapixel Front-Facing Camera
5. 3000mAh Battery
6. Iris Scanner
7. 32 Gb internal Storage w/Micro SD expansion up to 200 Gb
8. Continuum Support
9. USB 3.1 Type-C port
10. 4k Video Recording with up to 120 fps slow motion in 720p

 

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual Design and Build Quality

Looking at the refreshed and highly premium design of other flagships from HTC, SAMSUNG, APPLE AND SONY, Microsoft hasn't invested much on its design department. They just packed it with a polycarbonate casing. It may disappoint people those who love premium metal and aluminium framed Phones.

But still a lot of people like its design and looking at its specification, the design just doesn't matter.
Build quality is great though it looks a bit more budget. It feels great when you hold it, lies flat on a table and doesn't feel heavy or slippery. The handset weighs 150 grams . its a very compact 5.7 inch phone which is perfect for single handed use and much more portable.

Just for some comparison, the 4.7 inch iPhone 6s weighs 143 grams, iPhone 6s plus at 155 grams, HTC ONE M9 at 157 g and S6 edge weighs 132 g. In practice, none of the design gimmicks matters as like 90% of owners, the phone has been put into a silicon skin to protect it from bumps, so all the guff about finish and feel are irrelevant anyway.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual Display Quality

The OLED display with Nokia's clear black technology looks fabulous.Its one of the sharpest and brightest display present in the market.It has great picture clarity exactly as if a 24 inch LED display is compressed to a 5.2 inch OLED. Its OLED and the blacks are very deep especially for the dark mode in windows 10.

The videos and the photos look great, nothing to complain here.The sunlight readability is superb and very bright. The light sensors does the job flawlessly in adjusting the screen brightness.
As in most of the windows phone, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM also has this super sensitive touch screen for using it with gloves and It does matter a lot. The browsing experience with Microsoft edge is superb. This time they have a great browser to compete with.

WINDOWS 10 on Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual?

Microsoft is doing the best they could and should do to improve the OS and its functionality. With windows 10 the story climbs up another milestone. The complete UI experience has improved with added functionality and features.

Of course windows phone doesn't have the bloatware that others have. Live tiles, like the Photo tile, really are nice, with the latest news scrolling on the News tile, latest apps for sale on the Store button etc. The start screen looks so dynamic With windows 10 in this phone, you can expand external memory upto 200GB. I heard you saying Who needs 200GB" the answer is, of course you need at least its a future proof thing.

As of my initial usage with windows 10 for phone,the OS still has some bugs which needed to be fixed. This is not a big deal or something to worry because Microsoft were releasing insider builds at least every two weeks.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual Apps:

Thi Big Questions- Microsoft has provided all the necessary apps that users in US need and they have no complaints about that. But in India it still lags in terms of app support. Even the apps available in the store are not as feature rich as the Android or IOS Apps. And of course most of the good quality apps are paid, while the same app runs free on ANDROID DEVICES (with annoying ads).

In general, windows phone 10 OS is beautiful, decent, feature rich and a lot customisable. The upcoming Redstone builds looks promising.

HARDWARE PERFORMANCE AND HEATING

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM running windows 10 OS has not faced any lag issues yet. Its very fast and responsive. The opening and switching between apps are very fluid. Its a fact that windows phone are less performance demanding, it would run smoothly even on a 1 GB ram device. Just the case with lumia 730.

The 950 has the snapdragon 808 chipset compared to the 810 in 950XL which has better performance scores including the heating issues.

The entire chipset is good enough to handle all the HD games ,videos and stuff which demand extreme performance. As of the current windows store apps and games, the Lumia 950 can run all of them at full functionality.

Calling and the overall sound quality of the device is very premium. No call drops, no issues. The speakers sound output also sounds great.

Despite all it does get a little warm while long term usage or on heavy load. Obviously its expected when the system is on high load and on any device. But lets see if Microsoft to fix it in the upcoming builds. Newbies please note that Heat is the by-product of power at our current level of technology.

 

CAMERA SENSOR

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM has 20MP pureview camera (The pureview thing does make a difference). Its not just about the Mega pixels, but it has much more than that. One important detail about the 950's camera is that is has a 20MP true 16:9 sensor unlike the iphone which has a 4:3 sensor. This is quite important as the vast majority of our monitors and TV have a 16:9 aspect ratio. So the 950 takes wider imagines at full res and that is one clear advantage it has in comparison to an iphone camera among many others.

The camera quality is truly great and no surprise here. The zooming clarity is stunning. The pictures are very well saturated to give that natural look with a slighter touch of bright colours. The autofocus feature works as intended. The exposure levels and everything else is well collaborated.

In low light, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM is better than most. There is also this really cool feature when taking a photo with flash where you can change the lighting effect to reduce the effect of the flash, which really improved some harshly lit photos. Very clever.

Now coming to the video recording, It can record upto 4k resolution. Which turned out to be really beautiful in terms of overall colours and sharpness. The ability to adjust exposure and stuff with windows 10 camera and that even while the recording is live, is a good feature windows phone has.

It also support the slow motion videos which does need some great hardware. Though at 128 fps it can record upto 720p only. And it appeared great with good amount of light available. Be aware that slow motion videos need good amount for light for better results with every phone.

BATTERY LIFE

Windows phone have always been better in terms of battery life they offer. Though with Lumia 950 the battery life is just decent. I kept my expectation higher with this thing. It can give you a full day with moderate usage and 7+ hours with heavy usage. The on-screen time is comparably better than other flagships with full HD + displays. The battery is replaceable which is great if somehow you got the battery damaged after the guarantee period.

There is nothing like a battery draining issue. Its just because of the highly juice demanding hardware. But the plus point it has is the Fast charging feature It works brilliantly. In 30 minutes of charging at 40% initial charge, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM is going to be back to 85-90% charge. Absolutely brilliant.

There is a battery saver mode in windows 10 which works pretty well and does help getting through the day with enough juice remaining in the end.

SOME OTHER GREAT FEATURES

1. The Lumia 950 has wireless charging along with Hello and Continuum.
2. HELLO works flawlessly though its a bit slower compared to the finger print scanning technology.
3. Continuum is awesome for and it has even more to offer in the future.
4. Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM supports OTG
5. Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM does not come with a free disply dock for free. You need to pay an extra price for the same. Its available at this amazon link http://goo.gl/BC3fYO
   

Final Words on Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Dual

There is no denying that lumia 950 is a fabulous smartphone. Its feature rich in terms of hardware. If you prioritise a great screen, good camera, expandable memory and CONTANIUM then look no further. Windows Phone OS is great in its own class.

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Windows Phone 10 To Have Advanced Notification Center

Windows Phone 10 To Have Advanced Notification Center

By   12:37   No comments:

Not only actionable notifications are re-confirmed to be in works, but it also seems that notification center may come with tweaked UI and will show many more control options like “music controls”, while playing music.

At the moment, the Action Center in Build 9860 of Windows 10's Technical Preview only allows for basic notifications, so hardcore users will have to wait until the next build update for anything substantial.

Although Microsoft have done a splendid job of keeping all the focus on Windows 10, as opposed to Windows Phone 10, details about the next version of the mobile OS keep popping up. Microsoft certainly have their reasons — the various updates to Windows Phone 8.1 are currently rolling out at a somewhat slow pace around the globe, and there is absolutely no point in sabotaging the sales of these devices.

Anyway, we learned earlier today that the company was developing Interactive Live Tiles for the next version of its mobile operating platform, whatever it ends up being called. It appears that that’s not the only major upgrade coming to the OS.

The same report also reveals that in addition to these improvements, Redmond is busy developing a much more advanced notification center. It will be available on all flavors of Windows Phone 10, providing users access to actionable notifications.

This is, as you may know, a feature that has already been requested by many users.

For example, it might soon be possible to answer Skype messages or chat with contacts without opening the app itself. A simple “reply” button in the notifications pane might do the trick, placed somewhere near the notification.

A welcome, if expected addition.

Download Windows 10

Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to make sure that Windows 10 is the best desktop operating system since Windows 7, and that means adding features straight from the Windows Phone. You can Download Windows 10 Technical Preview from this link.

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How to Install Windows 10 Technical Preview Update [KB3020114]

How to Install Windows 10 Technical Preview Update [KB3020114]

By   13:24   No comments:

Microsoft recently released an update (KB3020114) for the Windows 10 Technical Preview to fix an issue with frequent Explorer.exe crashes. These fixes help you to keep your Windows 10 Technical Preview usable through the end of the year when a full new Windows 10 Technical Preview build is released until early 2015.

Unfortunately, many of us have ended with a problem installing KB3020114 update, causing the install to fail.

The issue occurs due to 2 underlying bugs:

• In build 9879 we introduced some new System Compression code that systems with SSDs can take advantage of to reduce disk usage by the OS. In some cases the logic for low-space detection gets inverted, and we compress automatically as a background operation.
• On PCs have had system compression enabled, an additional bug with how the filesystem tracks deletes caused the installer to think that the temp files failed to extract correctly, so the installer fails because it thinks it cannot complete.

  Workaround

  For the short term, anyone affected by this can get past it with the following workaround:

• Restart your PC
• Open CMD.exe as an Administrator and run: compact /u /exe /s:%windir%\winsxs\filemaps
• Immediately afterwards run Windows Update and Check for Updates
• Install KB 3020114
• Restart when prompted

Windows Team need to fix the 2 underlying issues above, and make sure that no additional problems prevent hotfix installs in the upcoming release of Windows 10. They are working on this but it will take a bit more time to ensure we got it right.

The good news is that people are helping Windows Team to find and fix these issues much faster than in the past, which means that the final product will be higher quality as well as having features shaped by our feedback.

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Download Windows 10 Technical Preview

Download Windows 10 Technical Preview

By   10:59   No comments:

Welcome to the download page for the Windows 10 Technical Preview. The Windows 10 January Technical Preview is the first glimpse of Microsoft’s newest Operating System Windows 10.

Some have speculated that the software will be called “The Windows 10 January Technical Preview for Enterprise” to reflect the business focus of this new Operating System.

Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to make sure that Windows 10 is the best desktop operating system since Windows 7, and that means adding features straight from the Windows Phone.

The company recently released a new build for the operating system, and guess what? It is packing the much talked about Action Center.

We are expecting several versions of the software to be released by Microsoft for testing. While some have speculated that Microsoft would move away from 32 bit processing and only have 64 bit versions of the Operating System, that is very unlikely.

Download Link:

32Bit Windows 10 January Technical Preview

Download Windows 10 January Technical Preview 32 Bit

• Download Size 3.16 GB.
• The SHA-1 hash value is 73AC23AD89489855F33CA224F196327740057E2E

64Bit Windows 10 January Technical Preview

Download Windows 10 January Technical Preview 64 Bit

• Download Size 4.10 GB.
• The SHA-1 hash value is EB75A3D3C0F621F175B75DC65DB036D0E00EAC43

The safest way to install the Windows 10 Technical Preview for testing is to install it as a (virtual machine) VM. Installing the software as a VM will give it limited access to your system and allow you upgrade to the next Windows 9 Preview safely and efficiently.

A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a computing environment in which an operating system (OS ) or program can be installed and run.

Basically a VM allows you to install several Operating Systems on your Mac or PC but have them run virtually. That way you can test new features, and can learn creating / installing new OS, Upgrade and delete them easily without affecting your regular machine or PC.

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