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The Windows 10 Technical Preview has been out for a few months along with various blogs, articles and presentations. There is a lot out there for both businesses and PC users to digest. Let me give you my Top 10 – not meant to be comprehensive of everything new in Windows 10, just what I find most meaningful.  In no particular order:

1. The Windows 8.0/8.1 “live tile” UI” is now integrated into the Start Menu which can also be viewed in full screen mode.   Two worlds previously toggled via the Windows button become one, resulting in a more familiar user interface.
2. When using a 2 in 1 system, Windows 10 optimizes the user interface for either touch or keyboard/mouse input, based on whether your device is in tablet or laptop mode.
3. When using a laptop with a precision touchpad, Windows 10 offers new touchpad gestures for navigating through your open apps.
4. Systems can be upgraded to Windows 10 directly from Windows 7. The option to skip Win 8.0/8.1 should be very interesting to IT managers everywhere.   Of course an upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 8.1 is possible but not from Windows 8.0.
5. MS Word capabilities are built into Outlook. Now it’s easier to add tables, insert pictures and more. Email is foundational to business productivity and I’m glad folks are looking to continuously improve it.
6. Windows Updates – both update type and cadence – can be customized by IT departments based on platform/user type. The needs of the business will dictate which updates get pushed when to which systems.
7. Windows 10 offers a more secure browser with enhanced support for modern sites as well as compatibility for legacy enterprise web pages and apps.
8. Windows 10 offers expanded and improved device management choices including Microsoft Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Group Policy, SCCM and improved MDM support. MDM support began with Windows 8.1, enabling IT to manage Windows PCs the same way they manage mobile devices. However with Windows 10 this MDM capability offers improvements in enterprise data protection, remote wiping for lost devices and even full control over the Windows Store among other features.
9. Speaking of the Windows Store, Microsoft is offering a web-based portal so organizations can acquire apps and then distribute them within their Windows 10 user base. It is even possible for a company to create their own private section within the Windows Store, making public and private apps easier to find so users can customize devices as directed by IT.
10. And finally, for added security Windows 10 is adding a feature called Windows Hello, which incorporates multifactor authentication (ex: biometric data) into the login process.

Look for more information this summer as the production version of the OS is released and businesses spend more cycles testing their applications and IT images. Windows 10 coupled with Intel-based platforms is going to be a very compelling computing solution.

Source: www.pcworld.com

Microsoft executives said Friday that the company will not offer Windows 10 for free to those without legitimate licenses to Microsoft’s software, as the company had previously seemed to say.
Terry Myerson, executive vice president of operating systems for Microsoft, wrote Friday that the company will provide “very attractive” offers to those who wish to upgrade from what he called a Windows operating system in a “non-Genuine state” to Windows 10. But, he said, it will not be free.
“While our free offer to upgrade to Windows 10 will not apply to Non-Genuine Windows devices, and as we’ve always done, we will continue to offer Windows 10 to customers running devices in a Non-Genuine state,” Myerson wrote. “In addition, in partnership with some of our valued OEM partners, we are planning very attractive Windows 10 upgrade offers for their customers running one of their older devices in a Non-Genuine state.”

If Windows thinks that the software isn’t genuine, it will create a “watermark” on the machine, notifying customers that they’re running an illegitimate copy of the software. If that happens, a customer will either need to upgrade or return the machine—assuming they just bought it—to the manufacturer itself.
“Non-Genuine Windows has a high risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information, and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions,” Myserson added. “Non-Genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner.”
What this means: This seemingly is the final act on a small drama that began in March, when Microsoft appeared to tell Reuters that it would offer free Windows 10 upgrades even to even those who had pirated the software. Two days later, however, it began walking back on that statement, claiming that pirated copies would be “still illegitimate.” Now we seem to have the final answer: If you pirate Windows, you’ll have to pay—eventually.

Source: www.pcworld.com