WINDOWS 8.1 |
Programs
Use them the way you always have. Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
and other programs you count on work the way you're used to. Use a
mouse and keyboard and organize your stuff in folders on the desktop.
Security
Windows Defender and Windows SmartScreen
can help guard your PC against viruses, spyware, and other malicious
software in real time. Family Safety gives your kids some independence
while still keeping tabs on them.
Mouse and keyboard
You can use a mouse and keyboard to work on your Windows desktop the way you always have. And things you do with touch, like using apps from the Windows Store and getting around on your Start screen, can also be done with a mouse and keyboard.
Help+Tips
The new Help+Tips app that debuts in Windows 8.1
addresses the top criticism of Windows 8—that it's confusing to use.
Actually, Windows 8 could not be simpler to use for a lot of
things—what's so hard about clicking a big tile with the name of an app
on it to run it? But some essential activities of the OS are less
obvious. Things like using the Charms (an always-accessible menu button
bar along the right side of the screen), switching apps, and moving
between desktop and new-style interface are all covered in the
Search once, go anywhere
Bing smart search
gives you results from your PC, your apps, and the web. Results are in a
clean, graphic view so you can quickly get to what you're looking for.
(Certain features unavailable in some regions.)
Your Windows, everywhere
It goes where you go.
Use your Microsoft account to sign in to any of your devices running Windows 8.1, and you'll see the same layout, apps, and settings. Signing in with your Microsoft Account (which is simply an email address and password of your choice) also gives you access to a world of apps from the Windows Store, and lets you save, view, and edit your documents and photos online with SkyDrive.
 | SkyDrive |
Your files are always with you
SkyDrive is free online storage that's built into Windows 8.1. Save documents, photos, and other files to SkyDrive automatically, and get to them anytime, from any of your PCs or devices. And you can use SkyDrive to protect your files if something happens to your PC.
You can also use SkyDrive to share and collaborate with others, and see your stuff on mobile and non-Windows devices.
 | Skype |
Video, voice, and instant messaging
The always-on app that makes staying in touch with all
your contacts easier than ever. Keep in touch with video and voice calls
and instant messaging, all from one app. Call any phone quickly and
easily. All Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls are free, and your messages are delivered straight to you no matter what you're doing. Snap Skype left or right and do more while you IM, video call, or keep an eye on your home screen.
Start Button and Boot to Desktop
Two features that longtime Windows users cried out for after Windows 8's original release have made their way into Windows 8.1—the Start button and the ability to boot to the desktop, where standard Windows programs can run just as they have for the last few versions of the OS. The Start button Microsoft has included, however, isn't quite what the longtime users were hoping for, since it opens the new-style Start screen.
New Start Tile and Window Options
The tile-based Start screen has gotten more flexible, now with four size choices instead of Windows 8's two. Added are a huge square, for apps with a lot of live info to display, like mail, and a tiny one, for apps with nothing to update live. Not all apps have all size choices, depending on what the app developer deems sensible.
Apps can even sprout a second new-style window when it makes sense such as the new Reading List app, which keeps the list in a narrow left-side panel while the content you want to read takes up most of the screen. With multiple monitors, you can further augment the number of windows. Speaking of external monitors, Windows 8.1 supports Miracast, which lets you send video over Wi-Fi to large HDTVs and the like.
The Lock screen also has new tricks: It can act as a slideshow display of your photos, rather than just showing a static picture. The slides are chosen with some intelligence, too, rather than simply rotating through all your photos; for example, you may see photos from around the same time of year in previous years. Another big help, especially for small tablets, is access to the camera without the need to log in. The same goes for answering Skype
calls—just tap on the notification to start video-chatting with grandma.
A big bugaboo of mine for Windows 8 was that you have two Settings tools—the new-style one and the traditional Control Panel on the desktop. Windows 8.1 still maintains this duality, but the modern UI settings have gotten far more robust, eliminating the need to head to the massive number of choices in desktop Control Panel. For example, now you can configure display settings, change mouse and typing options, and see PC info. You can even make new adjustments, like changing the app-switching behavior in the Corners and Edges section.
Another peeve of mine was that, in order to sync documents with SkyDrive, you had to have two SkyDrive apps running on Windows 8, the modern and the desktop version. Now SkyDrive document syncing is a built-in capability of the OS, and it offers an option that lets you access any files on a PC, even if you didn't explicitly upload the file to SkyDrive. I still wish you could upload from the Pictures app, and auto-upload the way you can in Windows Phone.
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