Microsoft is now hard at work on its next major update for Windows 10, codenamed Redstone 4 and scheduled for launch in the spring of 2018. Windows 10 Redstone 4 is now in full-time development at Microsoft, and there are plenty of new features and functions planned to be excited about. The beginning of the Redstone 4 development cycle has recently begun. This means the new features list is not a definite at this point, but I am continuing to get updates and changes to the preview edition that I am running on my test computer.
Here is a preview of what may be coming in this release.
Windows Shell (the base operating system)
Fluent Design reveal effects have been softened. Fluent Design Acrylic and Reveal effects are now showcased in more areas of the Shell. The Start menu now features Fluent Design "reveal" effects in tiles and the apps list. The "clear all", "expand", "collapse" and "see more" text in the Action Center now uses your chosen accent color.
On touch system, you can now use a two finger swipe gesture to dismiss all notifications in the Action Center.
Windows will now show you your personalized lock screen when selecting your account on the login page. The Calendar fly-out on the taskbar now features reveal effects.
Contacts pinned to the taskbar now show a list of connected apps rather than tiles.
The Taskbar now features the Acrylic blur effect.
Action Center notifications now feature Fluent Design reveal effects. The "clear all" text in Action Center now says "clear all notifications" instead.
Near Share is now present in the Share UI and lets you share content between nearby devices. Right clicking a live tile will give you the option of jumping straight into those apps Settings.
Task View now includes Timeline that allows you to go back and resume apps you had open in the past up to 30 days.
Virtual Desktops has moved to the top of the Task View UI.
Fluent Design effects will be disabled when in battery saver mode.
The My People Hub now features Reveal and Acrylic effects. You can now drag to reposition contacts pinned to the Taskbar. You can now drag contacts between the Taskbar and the My People Hub.
It appears that none of these Windows Shell improvements are earth-shaking, but they do improve the look, feel, and function of the basic operating system.
Microsoft Edge (your access to the internet)
You can now mute audio coming from a specific tab.
Edge now has the ability to save free EPUB books.
Edge will now automatically fill out preferred information in address and related forms.
The Edge UI (user-interface) now features an improved UI with Fluent Design reveal effects and more prominent Acrylic title bar.
The EPUB and PDF bookmarks UI has been updated.
Edge now supports Service Workers that allows websites to send notifications and refresh in the background even when Edge is closed.
Cortana (Your personal assistant)
Cortana now has a new Lists/Collections app that allows you to create Lists that sync across devices with Cortana.
Cortana's proactive content will now appear in Action Center.
Cortana is now better at alerting you about apps that you can pick up where you left off.
Cortana now features a new Notebook UI that better promotes things like Skills, Lists and more.
The users profile picture is now showcased in Cortana's hamburger menu.
Input Improvements (for touch users)
Touch keyboard now features Fluent Design.
Physical keyboard users now have the option to enable an on-screen text suggestions function.
The wide virtual keyboard now features shape-writing.
New gestures when writing with a pen are now present in the pen insert field. You can now insert more than one emoji at once when using the emoji panel.
You can now change the font used in the handwriting panel.
The emoji panel now supports more languages.
Settings (the new control panel)
Settings now features a new redesign with Reveal effects and Acrylic blur.
You can now configure Startup apps in Settings.
There is now a colorwheel in the Ease of Access area. Ease of Access has been categorized into subcategories in the sidebar and reorganized.
Sound settings are now present in the Settings app.
Users can now limit download bandwidth for updates in the foreground.
You can now manage what data is stored in Timeline.
You can now adjust how bright SDR content appears when using a HDR monitor.
Windows Update will now place an update icon in the System Tray when there is an update pending.
You can now customize the amount of contacts that can be pinned to the Taskbar up to 10.
Users can now recover local accounts from the lock screen.
More Control Panel elements such as Fonts, Display, Sound, and more have now been moved into Settings.
There is now a new Keyboards area located in Settings.
Language Packs are now powered by the Microsoft Store and feature a new install UI.
HomeGroup has been removed.
Overall, the thrust of the new update appears to be consolidating Windows 7 and Windows 10 functions, Also, improving usability and clarity to many of the internal settings that are used to provide the individual customization of your desktop.
Stay protected!
George Cox is the owner of Computer Diagnostics and Repair. He can be reached at 346-4217.
Via thespectrum.com
