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During Microsoft’s BUILD 2016 conference, the company announced that Windows 10 will receive a new, free update this summer called Anniversary Update. This “upgrade” will be rolled out to PCs, tablets, smartphones, the Xbox One console, Microsoft HoloLens, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The company didn’t provide an exact ship date for the release, but presumably it will take place sometime in July to celebrate the first anniversary of Windows 10’s launch.
So what’s in this Anniversary Update? If you missed the conference and the related news, we’ve rounded up what Microsoft officially announced, which spans Cortana, Microsoft Edge, the Windows Store, and more. Some of the update’s ingredients weren’t announced during the initial keynote, so we’ll briefly touch base on the features found in the Windows 10 Anniversary SDK as well.
Windows Ink
Previous rumors suggested that Microsoft would make Windows 10 more friendly to pen users with touch screens, and the company is delivering just that with additional support for Windows Ink. While this feature is already provided in first-party apps like Microsoft Edge, Office, and Maps, developers will be able to inject this tool within their app solutions by adding as little as two lines of code. Thus, end-users will have the ability to jot notes directly onto the screen, scribble a little doodle to share with friends, and more by using a supported digital pen stylus for Windows 10.
Windows Ink will offer cool tools like an eraser, pen tips, and a virtual ruler, the latter of which allows users to draw straight lines right on the screen. In Maps, you can draw a line directly onto the screen and the app will determine the actual distance. It will also convert that line into an actual path that will stay glued to the landscape when the terrain is viewed in 3D. Windows Ink can even delete whole paragraphs of text in Word and straighten crooked text highlighting. Adobe Illustrator CC will include support for this expanded feature.
Cortana
Microsoft’s built-in personal assistant for Windows 10 will receive a big upgrade in the intelligence department. Cortana will provide suggestions throughout the day based on your actions and stored information, such as suggesting to order lunch at noon. Cortana will also be made available on the lock screen so that users can seek out information and ask questions without having to unlock the PC or device. For example, during the BUILD 2016 keynote, Cortana was asked about the amount of time it would take to reach Sausalito, which was immediately answered right on the lock screen.
Related: Everything you need to know about Cortana
Cortana will also work better across all devices. According to Microsoft, users will be able to complete certain notification-based tasks on the PC that originated on a Windows or Android phone, including receiving and sending texts. Cortana will also have the ability to track where users have been and provide relevant information at any time based on that location or event.
“Developers now have full access to Cortana’s proactive intelligence through proactive actions, allowing your apps to perform tasks based on user context by linking existing actions in your deep-link enabled apps and websites,” Microsoft reports.
Cortana will also be added to Skype, located in the upper-right-hand corner of the app. In a demonstration during BUILD 2016, Cortana private messaged the demo presenter to find out if it was okay to provide her address to a third-party supplier who was trying to ship a batch of cupcakes. This user was also capable of reserving a block of space for a trip on the Calendar app thanks to Cortana support within Skype. Afterwards, the virtual assistant suggested a visit to a friend while traveling to Dublin based on previous Skype chats.
Windows Hello
This service is already built into Windows 10, allowing users to log into the platform with a mere face, eyeball, or fingerprint, throwing out the need for a pesky password or PIN number. This is especially handy in enterprise environments where data is sensitive and passwords aren’t the best security to utilize. With the Windows 10 Anniversary Edition update, that security measure extends out to Windows 10 apps and supporting websites loaded up in the Windows Edge browser.
Related: How to set up Windows Hello
If you haven’t set up Windows Hello already, simply go into Settings, Accounts, and Sign-in Options to get started. Here you’ll see options for using your face or your iris if a supporting camera is installed, or your fingerprint if a biometric reader is installed. Once the Anniversary Update upgrade rolls out, that information should be applied to supporting apps and websites immediately.
Xbox One
With Anniversary Update, Xbox One console owners will see Cortana finally crashing the gaming scene, helping players find new games, offer tips and tricks, and so on. The update will also bring a unified Windows Store across all devices, allowing Xbox One owners to download and install apps based on the Unified Windows Platform (UWP). This unified storefront will also support game bundles, season passes, and more game-related specials.
As a preview to the Anniversary Update, in May Microsoft will enable SLI and CrossFire support for UWP-based games as well as the ability to turn on v-sync. These are two of the most requested features since mainstream PC games began hitting the Windows Store. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition are two examples of games that could benefit from multi-GPU support.
The company is also now offering a preview of Dev Mode for the Xbox One, which officially launches with Anniversary Update. This allows any Xbox One console to become a developer kit. Game creators merely download the app from the store and register the console. The controller automatically works in developing apps thanks to the UWP platform.
Microsoft Edge
We already know extensions are coming to Windows 10’s fresh new browser, and will be offered within a special Microsoft Edge store, similar to what Google Chrome does.
Microsoft Translator, Reddit Enhancement Suite, and Mouse Gestures are already supported in preview builds offered in the Insider Program, but the likes of AdBlock, AdBlock Plus, Amazon, Evernote, LastPass, Pinterest, and Reddit are also slated to provide extensions.
Related: Adblock confirms Edge extension is in the works
That said, Microsoft Edge extensions may not officially arrive with the Anniversary Update, but there’s a good chance the extension support will be included in this summer’s update.
What Else Is Expected
During the conference, Microsoft released the Windows 10 Anniversary software development kit, or SDK. There were a number of elements Microsoft didn’t officially reveal in the initial keynote, such as running apps in the background without the need for two separate processes. Developers will also be allowed to build an ecosystem based on their apps (aka app extensions), similar to the way Microsoft Edge will offer its browser extensions.
The Action Center will move to the cloud, allowing apps to engage users on all of their devices. As an example, the user can dismiss a notification on their phone and it will also be dismissed on the PC as well. Developers will even see new tools for the Windows Store and Dev Center, and new ways for connecting to devices, communicating with them, and managing multiple apps and devices.
That’s All, Folks… For Now
That’s basically everything we know about the Windows 10 Anniversary Update so far. Until it’s released this summer, there will undoubtedly be more leaks and rumors surrounding what will be included in the update that was not revealed in the BUILD 2016 keynote. We’ve already seen slides regarding special cards exchanged between Cortana and the Action Center, as well as other details Insiders have thrown at the Internet.
That said, stay tuned for more details regarding Anniversary Update as they are released over the next several months.
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from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/21XKEcr
Kevin Parrish
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