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Surface RT will only get some of Windows 10's upgrades
Well, that was quick: Despite Microsoft saying that Windows 10 was coming to its misfit tablet, the Surface RT, that isn't quite the case. As Thurrott reports, Redmond is working on an update for Surface which will have "some of the functionality" of Windows 10. The SuperSite for Windows founder goes on to say: "Since those [Windows RT and Surface RT/2] are the only Windows RT devices that ever sold in any measurable quantity, two conclusions are obvious. Other Windows RT devices may not be updated at all (i.e. this Windows 10 subset update may literally only be for Surface RT/2 devices). And more generally, Windows RT is dead." And it very well may be. The RT platform's always been a bit of an odd duck with its inability to run standard Windows apps, and it looks this this could be Microsoft's kiss of death. You can read the official word from a Microsoft spokesperson after the break.
HoloLens is and isn't Xbox One's answer to PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset
Finally, we can stop asking Microsoft's Xbox lead Phil Spencer about virtual reality headsets. "For us, I think this is the area," Spencer told a group of interviewers at yesterday's Windows 10 event. He was responding to whether or not there's also a virtual reality headset in the works at Microsoft, just an hour after the company unveiled HoloLens: a "mixed reality" headset that enables the wearer to see holograms in real life. For Spencer, HoloLens is both Microsoft's alternate answer to the recent virtual reality explosion and a potential answer to Sony's Project Morpheus headset -- a VR peripheral that works with the PlayStation 4, where HoloLens could work with the Xbox One. "It's very cool. To me there's not a successful consumer electronics device on the planet where gaming is not a primary form of app category on the thing," Spencer said. There's even a "Minecraft-inspired" demo -- which answers that question -- for HoloLens that shows the implications of gaming with holograms. But no demo showed the headset working with the Xbox One in any capacity. Spencer instead talked around that possibility: "I think gaming will be important. Specific scenarios with the Xbox, we're thinking hard about. People could ask about streaming solutions. Could I use it as a display for my Xbox? We don't have answers to any of those things, but know it's all part of the same organization."
Windows 10 means big changes for the future of Xbox
Microsoft made a lot of sweeping statements yesterday about what it wants for the future of Xbox and Windows. We don't like broad statements here at Engadget; we like specifics. Good news! We've broken down the aforementioned statements into the stuff that really matters: how you will be affected by the upcoming launch of Windows 10, specifically as it pertains to the game console you own and the PC you use for games. We've got answers on everything from in-home game streaming to Xbox's biggest games heading to the PC, so head below for a beat-by-beat breakdown of what yesterday's big announcements mean for the future of the Xbox platform as we know it.
Lumia Camera will be the stock camera app on Windows 10 devices
In case you haven't noticed, team Engadget has spent a lot of time today covering Windows 10, Microsoft's next-gen operating system. Over the course of the company's three-hour keynote, we heard quite a bit more about its so-called universal apps, which will run on all manner of Windows devices, whether they be desktops, tablets, phones or even 84-inch pen displays. That said, there were a couple tidbits the company left out of its presentation. For one thing, we only just learned for sure that the Lumia Camera app -- the one included in the recent "Denim" update -- will actually be the default camera app on all Windows 10 devices. That means even if you're using a Windows device made by Samsung or HTC, you'll get the same photography experience as on a proper Lumia, at least as far as software and image editing go (actual image quality is a different story).
Microsoft's surprise hit: an 84-inch pen display for the office
As Microsoft's big news day winds down, people will mostly be talking about two things: the next version of Windows, and that insane headset that lets you see holograms in your living room. If you ask me, though, one of the most impressive things the company announced was actually a giant pen display meant for the workplace. The Surface Hub, as it's called, is an 84-inch, 4K screen that's destined to live in conference rooms, making it easier for employees to brainstorm together, even over conference calls. Using a pressure-sensitive pen that attaches magnetically to the side of the machine, you can draw on the display, moving things with the stylus, and even erasing things using the opposite end.
Microsoft isn't saying much about what's inside HoloLens
Without a doubt, the biggest surprise from today's Windows 10 keynote at Microsoft's Redmond campus was the outfit unveiling its HoloLens headset. Dubbed as the "first fully untethered, holographic computer" the device and its capabilities looked pretty neat -- if a little fantastical -- onstage when Alex Kipman showed it off. But for all his talk about breaking down the walls between technology and people, there are a surprising amount of them around exactly what the device is packing under the hood. We asked every person at the event that we could (developers, public relations folks, engineers) about the specs of the dev kit we tried, and were shot down at every turn. No one would give a single, concrete detail. So let's break down what was said during the stage demo (embedded below) and what Microsoft has released via the HoloLens website instead, shall we?
Here's a closer look at the latest build of Windows 10 (video)
Shortly after Microsoft wrapped its epic Windows 10 keynote today, we had a chance to see the latest version of the next-gen OS running on some honest-to-goodness hardware. Using a Dell Venue Pro 11 tablet on display here at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters, we got to experience the software in a slightly more final form than when we last saw it. New features include a button for bringing the Start Screen to full-screen, a notification center, revamped Photos and Settings apps and, most importantly, Cortana voice search built right into the desktop. In addition, we got a closer look at the so-called Continuum feature that allows the UI to change depending on what device you're using (laptop, tablet, et cetera).
Here's the biggest news from Microsoft's Windows 10 event
Microsoft hinted that its January Windows 10 event would have a lot to offer, and boy was it right. The Redmond crew unveiled not just a ton of software features for desktops and mobile devices, but also new hardware that pushes the limits of what you thought computers could do. Overwhelmed? Don't be -- we've rounded up the biggest news from the event in the gallery below, so you'll know just what to expect when the new Windows is ready for prime time.
I experienced 'mixed reality' with Microsoft's holographic computer headset, 'HoloLens'
Unlike virtual reality, it's much easier to describe what it's like using Microsoft's "mixed reality" holographic headset, HoloLens. Imagine you're wearing sunglasses with completely transparent lenses, and overlaid on the world in front of you is a rectangular box. That rectangular box is your window into Microsoft's "mixed" version of reality, meant to convey a mix of standard reality with augmented reality (overlaid images) and virtual reality (immersion). Does it work? Yes, it works. Is it any good? That's a much harder question to answer. In its current state, HoloLens is a series of demos with varying levels of polish, meant to demonstrate the possibility of the device. More clearly: In its current state, HoloLens is far from ready for public consumption. It's an impressive demo in need of long-term investment, which Microsoft says is happening. All that baggage aside, what's it like using HoloLens?
What's new in Windows 10 for PCs? A lot.
Coming into today's Windows 10 event, we already knew a lot about Microsoft's latest and greatest. The company explained the thinking behind its new OS back in September, and the Technical Preview has been available for months. The core change comes in the form of a revitalized desktop experience -- one that puts the best of Windows 7 and 8 into a single package. Windows will also now better match the convertible devices Microsoft is pushing, with a consistent UI across all platforms, but there's a whole lot more to explore here, including some features detailed today for the first time. Let's take a closer look.
When did Apple become the boring one?
In less than a decade, Apple completely changed the world of personal computing, and the music industry in the process. First came the iPod and the iTunes Store; then the iPhone and App Store; and then the iPad. The Apple of the 2000s was an exciting company to follow. It's just not that company anymore. Instead, it's spent the past few years slowly improving its admittedly great cash cows, iterating and iterating and iterating. It's made cheaper iPhones, bigger iPhones and even gave in and made a phablet. It's made cheaper iPads, smaller iPads and is apparently planning a bigger iPad. It's made cheaper MacBooks, smaller MacBooks... you get the point. Its latest project, the Apple Watch, sure looks like a smartwatch, and it might be very successful, but is it doing anything totally unique? Is it really exciting? No. The 2000s Microsoft, on the other hand, spent its years trying to fix Vista, Internet Explorer and Windows Mobile -- playing catch-up. Apart from the success of the Xbox 360, it had a pretty rough time, even if it was never in trouble financially. But let's briefly summarize what Microsoft, energized by the appointment of Satya Nadella as CEO almost a year ago, just showed us. An operating system that runs universal apps across PC, tablet, phone and Xbox One. Streaming games from your home console to any Windows PC or tablet. A voice assistant for your PC that seems like a prequel to Scarlett Johansson's AI in Her. HoloLens. I mean, HoloLens! Microsoft is promising to make the distant dream of functional AR a reality very soon. It even held people's attention while showing off a new enterprise PC.
The design of Windows 10: a consistent look across all devices
We knew that Microsoft was planning to tuck that Modern UI inside the resurrected Start Menu for Windows 10, and today, the company provided more details on the next installment's aesthetics. When the update arrives, there will be a version that's designed specifically for devices that are smaller than eight inches in size. This means that the look and feel of the desktop and larger tablets will carry over, and universal apps will allow for seamless transitions from mobile to office sessions. Apps like PowerPoint and Word carry a similar look in mobile versions, and features, like a list of recently opened files, sync across phones, slates and desktop machines. The goal here is an easy-to-use cross-device experience that's accessible anywhere, and consistent aesthetics will certainly help.
Microsoft's HoloLens headset is a holographic display for Windows 10
Microsoft is building support for holographic displays into Windows 10, so it only makes sense that the company would make one of those displays, wouldn't it? Meet HoloLens, an official headset with see-through lenses that merges digital content with the physical. It includes spatial sound so that you can hear things happening behind you in the virtual world, and it even has a dedicated Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) to make sure everything works smoothly. The company is shy about just when it'll start selling HoloLens, but it should be available "in the Windows 10 time frame."
HoloLens is Microsoft's take on augmented reality
Microsoft's "dreaming beyond virtual worlds." Meaning, it's looking into holograms for, well, Windows Holographic. It looks an awful lot like an extension of the RoomAlive tech we've seen previously, but it isn't limited to gaming. According to Redmond's Alex Kipman, Holographic applications are Windows 10 universal apps so developers will be able to release them across a wide range of devices. The platform works in concert with the newly unveiled HoloLens headset that allows interaction between the physical and digital worlds. The outfit showed this all off with a live demo of an app dubbed HoloStudio wherein an employee built a quadrocopter onstage by pointing her finger and issuing voice commands like "mirror" and "copy." It all seemed pretty natural, actually. Kipman likened it to "print preview for 3D printing" and then pulled a 3D-printed version of the UFO-like quadrocopter seemingly out of his back pocket to show that it's more than just a concept -- it's a reality.
Microsoft reveals the 'Surface Hub,' an 84-inch 4K all-in-one
Today might be all about the next chapter in Windows, but there's something for the hardware-heads, too. Specifically the Surface Hub -- which joins Surface tablets, and Lumia smartphones on Redmond's roster of gear offerings. This beast is basically a large all-in-one PC (slash smart display) that is fully loaded with sensors, speakers, WiFi, NFC, microphones, cameras and more. The funniest thing? This huge device has been hiding in plain sight for the duration of Microsoft's keynote today.
You can stream 'Forza' or 'Halo' from Xbox One to Windows 10
Microsoft's new "Windows as a service" approach means more than just free Windows 10 upgrades; it's also bringing game streaming from the Xbox One to PCs and tablets. Xbox lead Phil Spencer just announced the feature at today's Windows 10 event, which will bring a feature similar to what we've seen on Wii U, PlayStation and Steam, with streaming to other devices in the home. That's in addition to all the other new gaming features coming to Windows 10, of course, and we expect to hear more about the feature at the Game Developers Conference in March before it launches later this year.
Microsoft makes Xbox features an integral part of Windows 10
In what could go down as one of the most important Microsoft events of recent years, the tech giant invited people to its Redmond, Washington, headquarters to break down the next version of Windows. As part of this, Microsoft just revealed that Windows 10 will bring the Xbox app to every PC and tablet running on the new OS. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer took the stage to announce how system-level Xbox One features, like messages and the friends list, will integrate with Windows 10. "Gaming has become a much more social activity," said Spencer during the presentation. "Gaming is personal."
Microsoft's new browser includes Cortana and offline reading
Internet Explorer is dead; long live "Project Spartan!" Even the most die-hard Microsoft fan would probably admit that Microsoft's browser has become the punchline to a lot of jokes. The advent of Windows 10 has seen the outfit attempt to fix many of the gripes that users had with the last two generations of the operating system, so perhaps it's no surprise to see that a replacement browser is in the works. Microsoft has now revealed more information about the browser project, apart from its actual name -- for now, it's code-named Project Spartan.
Music is coming to Microsoft OneDrive this year
It's official: OneDrive is getting a whole lot more musical. And like we reported last year, it's going to operate a whole lot like Google Play Music. When's the magic start? Sometime later this year, according to Microsoft's Joe Belfiore.
Windows 10's messaging lets you use multiple chat services at once
If you're tired of jumping between multiple messaging apps to stay in touch with others, you may want to get Windows 10 when it shows up. Microsoft has revealed that the new Windows messaging client can integrate multiple internet-based services, creating a single conversation for each person regardless of the apps they use. Think of it as a parallel to the unified chat feeds in Apple's Messages app or Google's Hangouts, except that you're not limited to a handful of online providers. Developers will no doubt need to add support (you shouldn't expect WhatsApp or Line to magically appear), but this is a big deal if you're a social butterfly.
