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So just like that, BUILD 2014 has come and gone.
Microsoft share plenty of plans for the present, some insights for the future, and a vision or two for the times ahead. Overall, April 2 and 3 were the days where Redmond announced a slew of improvements to the current platforms; a number of them overdue, while others very much welcome.
Here is the shortest of roundups of the tallest deals:
• Windows Phone 8.1 is shaping up to be the update to end all updates
• Windows 8.1 Update, as it is now known, basically improves keyboard and mouse usage
• The Start Menu is coming back, in one shape or another, soon enough
• .NET Native reduces memory footprint of apps, while improving loading times by 60 percent
• Unified Apps for PC, phone and gaming consoles promise to be the next big thing
• New UI for Windows Store should bring back some of the lost sparkle
• DirectX 12, while a few leagues, away is shaping up to be a total game changer
• Windows In The Car concept is development done right
• Nokia Lumia 930 is all set to be the new fan favorite
• Windows Azure got its usual list of regular improvements
In total there were 55 new announcements (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/steve_fox/archive/2014/04/05/build-2014-round-up-part-1.aspx) all adding up to the excitement of what the future holds.
And while the company stopped shy of talking about Windows 9 or the convergence of the Modern UI with the desktop that the next full version of the operating system is set to bring, overall the event was a solid 8. Just shy of earth shattering!