Windows 10 evaluation: hands on with Windows 10

Microsoft execs said that Windows 10 could be built from the bottom up for a world where cellular - and cloud computing systems are crucial. They also told us that Microsoft was dedicated to making Windows 10 friendly for your enterprise, perfect for keyboard and mouse customers, but also optimised for touch. Oh, and Windows 10 will place the exact same port on devices with screens ranging in size from 4in to 80in. 'One product family, one platform, one shop,' says Microsoft.

Given that the lukewarm response to jeopardized Windows 8, these look like bold claims. They are probably crucial.

Also necessary is Microsoft's choice to make Windows 10 the very beta-tested product it has ever published. Windows 10 Technical Preview will be available to everybody who wishes to check it from now -- October 1 2014. Given that we do not expect it to launch until the middle of next year, this really is a longer evaluation period than we have previously seen. And the version of Windows that Microsoft is sharing is quite far from the final code. Microsoft tells us to expect the Charms to alter, as an example.

Critically the Start Menu Includes standard Windows applications and Windows Apps. Modern UI programs. That means you're able to use those apps from within the Desktop area. Hopefully this removes some of this pointless branch in Windows on X86 systems. It also needs to help Microsoft make good on its promise that Windows 10 will feel comfortable to Windows 7 users. But we're a long way from this just now.

All of which means that this guide is very far from a closing Windows 10 review. More of a flavour of what to expect. As yet there is not any music, IE or video to be found. We're guessing that won't be the situation come launch in 2015. We brought you live coverage of the Windows 10 start event, and our colleague Mark Hachman -- he works for our sister title PCWorld.com -- spent some time getting hands on with Windows 10 Technical Preview, also gave us detailed thoughts on a number of the newest features. We discuss a number of these here together with you in no specific order. You can receive all the hard facts on Windows 10 in our post: Windows 10 release date, cost, features. The next version of Windows will run on all: tablets tablets, notebooks and PCs.

Windows 10 review: search improvements

Personally, I believe that universal hunt in Windows 8 is a much-undervalued feature. Looking to load up apps and documents is much more effective than navigating via programs and document systems. And going by the Technical Preview Microsoft has made strides in this area.

Because, very simply, Windows 10 sees an internet search button added to the taskbar. This in one important move among the few crucial facets of this Windows 8 Start webpage is pulled into the Desktop. Microsoft officials tell us that Search and Document Explorer now displays your recent files and often visited folders. This should make finding files you have worked faster and simpler. It's hard to test this on a demonstration system, however we look forward to trying it out on the Technical Preview as soon as we could get it all installed.

Windows 10 review: Snap Assist and windowed programs

With Snap Assist every program in Windows 10 may be dynamically resized in a single window. And unlike in Windows 8 -- where a snapped app takes up half the screen -- with Windows 10 around four programs could be snapped per display. This has the capacity to be a killer productivity program -- true multitasking in a single window.

Even better, Snap a record to a single side of the screen, and Snap Assist will suggest others that you may wish to open. Snap an program and Windows 10 indicates another, similar app that you may want to snap next to it. Mark was impressed with his short evaluation:"The attribute is meant to save you the hassle of hunting about through menus to really build a virtual desktop. Time will tell if these suggestions will prove invaluable, but it is a great beginning.

"You can see, but that a number of different attributes -- Snap Assist, windowed programs, virtual desktops -- all stream somewhat organically into another. I am really interested to see the difference that they make in my own daily workflow"

Windows 10 review: the all-new Start Menu windows 10 price

Now we get on into the big stuff. The Start Menu is back, back, back baby. However, this time it's enhanced, and it may even make Windows apps useful. Look to the left and you will see a list of frequently used programs and shortcuts to PC settings. Here you'll also find pictures and documents folders. At the base we see an'All apps' shortcut.

And Microsoft has retained the functionality of the Windows 8 Start display over on the best, using resizeable Live Tiles so you can quickly check unread email or Calender appointments. The Start Menu is customisable -- you are able to resize it, and rearrange the tabs, You can also revert to the Windows 8 Start page, should you want to. Who would want to?

Mark was not impressed with the Windows 10 Start Menu's appearances, but he could see the beauty inside:"Aesthetically, it looks like someone surgically conjoined the Windows 7 and Windows 8 encounter. Proceed past that inelegance, however, and it's damn useful"

Windows 10 review: Task View, virtual backgrounds, ALT-TAB

Another useful and visual productivity enhancer is the manner that Task View permits you to make a kind of multi-monitor setup inside one screen. As with previous versions of Windows you can use ALT-TAB to immediately shuffle between windows. The killer difference here is the new Task View button. Third from the left in the Windows Taskbar is the Task View button. Press it or reach Windows TAB -- and you'll notice an array of'virtual desktops', virtual displays into which you'll be able to snap multiple programs. So you could keep your email and browser on one Desktop which you hide away when you're working in an Excel spreadsheet.

Potentially a very helpful feature.

Purchasing Advice

It's obviously much too premature to provide a verdict on Windows 10. We applaud Microsoft's commitment to user-driven testing of Windows 10, and are enthusiastic about the possibility of fixing a few of the problems with Windows 8 -- particularly on the Desktop. We're a long way from being able to praise Windows 10, but the start is good. And, yes, that's in part because the Start Menu is great.