Saturday 1 August 2015

A new window onto the world

Over the last couple of days, I've eagerly updated my computers, two laptops and a desktop, to the new Windows 10 operating system. Before making this move, I read reviews on the new system that promises so much, one of these reviews being a BBC News article.

According to Leo Kelion (2015), writing in "Will Windows 10 Prove a Winner for Microsoft?", the latest version of Microsoft Corporation's operating system went on sale on July 29 ambitiously hoping to offer users a unified and sophisticated computing experience on the very different devices that they might use in order to maintain existing customers and attract new users in the face of mounting competition from Apple's OS and Google's Android.

I've never used an Apple device, but I'm sure that it's iOS and products are as excellent as some of my friends who are Apple fans swear. But I have been using Google products and Android for a few years, and I think they're great. My tablets and smartphones are Samsung, and have been for a few years now. I'm not thinking of changing, but for more serious productivity, I still think that MS Office products and the Windows OS offer more. As you will discover in the next few weeks, we will use both Google apps, mainly via Classroom, and also MS Word, although in the computer lab, via the inferior Libre Office free program.

Although it is only a couple of days since I made the move, I'm already a happy Windows 10 customer. For a start, my computers all now look and work the same way. Before I had Windows 7 on my main computer, the desktop, and Windows 8.1. on my laptops. This wasn't a big problem, but now they are the same. More importantly, Windows 10 does seem to be very well designed. So far, I've only had one small problem since the upgrade: my old printer was not compatible, so this morning I popped into the IT City shop at Paragon and bought a new, up to date printer to complement new look computers. And the new printer is great. They've clearly developed a lot since I last bought one to fill my very small printing needs at home. The new Canon I've got can print through wi-fi. It also works with Google Cloud printing, so my Android phone and tablet can print directly through it!

In fact, the way that Windows helps to bring my different systems and devices together is one of its coolest features for me. My main contact list is the one from my main Google account, which I generally add to from the phone. Similarly, the Windows calendars easily synchs with and lets my edit my Google calendar, which will continue to be my main calendar to remind of things like AUA term dates and the like.

I don't play games on my devices, but I do occasionally enjoy a movie or a YouTube video on a topic that interests me, and a break for a spot of relaxation sounds good right now.

__________
Reference
Kelion, L. (2015, July 29). BBC News. Will Windows 10 prove a winner for Microsoft? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33637586

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