A Day With Windows 10 Technical Preview (Build 9926)

It's been a day since I used this Pre-released build of Windows 10 or Technical  Preview for PCs as the IT people call it. The latest Windows iteration from Microsoft is a combination of the speed of Windows 7 and the modern look of Windows 8 and yet, another great addition to the Windows family. Here are some of its new offerings:

Cortana 

Won't speak or respond at times but the function is there

Here's a screenshot of the desktop from the latest build (Build 9926). It still has the familiar look but with a bit of changes. Some of these changes includes Cortana, the Siri and Google Now competitor from the Windows Phone 8.1. She is quite functional at this point. Cortana is quite buggy at this time but they will hopefully fix it in a future update.

UI Changes

Flat and simple design

 Another noticeable adjustments that are made are mostly on the user interface. They made the Close, Maximize and Minimize buttons bigger for better use on Tablet PCs. Windows 10 also gave icons a cleaner and flatter look but not every icon is fully changed yet. There are still the old Windows 7 icons lurking around and they'll probably change them all in the retail version.
 

The icons became much smaller

They made the icons on the taskbar smaller and added a new set of icons which are Cortana and Task View. The Task View feature, from there, you can view all your running apps and you can  add multiple windows ,like the ones on Linux releases and Mission Control on OS X. which is also a great addition to Windows 10.

The Start Menu 

Looking great but sluggish for now

One of the changes that the user will firstly notice is the return but revamped Start Menu. It's not the Start Menu as we know it. On this build, the Start Menu won't come up at times and can cause a short freezing on the taskbar area. This is understandable since it's still in development. This Start menu, however, isn't like the old Windows 7 one, but it's some kind of the old one merged with the squared UI apps from the Windows 8 Start Screen. The old stuff like folders from the old start menu (Accessories, etc...) are gone and this gave me a hard time finding MS Paint. They are mostly replaced with Metro apps or apps from the Windows Store which is I'm not comfortable with. The Start Menu, unlike from the old build, can't be resized anymore and has a fixed size. The Metro apps, still, can be customized, moved and resized just like what they did in Windows 8/8.1.

 Final Thoughts

The Desktop

Windows 10 is going to be new and familiar at the same time. Just like I said, It's like Windows 7 and 8 combined which made it a good thing because of the merged feeling it gives the user. Giving them a bit of functionality from 7 and the good flatter look from 8. The best part of Windows 10 is it's free. Microsoft announced that if you have a computer running a legit copy of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, you can upgrade it to Windows 10 for free but this year only. So I recommend upgrading to this great OS when it comes out. For now, the latest pre-released build is a buggy and lags at times. Install this preview at your own risk! This software is not meant for everyday use. So, if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to install it. It's great! At least for me.

Gabriel Anciano Sunday, January 25, 2015 Reviews