Category: Windows 10

Microsoft has published a report comparing their newly updated Microsoft Edge browser against the competition and the results indicate that it is far more battery friendly than other browsers out there.  The report is similar to one that the company ran in June and this new report is based on the updated version of Edge in what is commonly referred to as the Anniversary Update of Windows 10 (Build 1607 for those keeping score).  The results indicate that Edge has seen some dramatic improvements since the release of the update.

At the risk of giving away the ending, the results may look familiar! With the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft Edge is more efficient than ever, and still the best choice for extending your battery life on Windows 10 – up to 24%-43% more efficient than the competition for general purpose browsing, and lasting up to 23%-69% longer when streaming video.

If you have been trying to add your Gmail account to your Windows Phone over the past few days and keep getting an error, you are not alone.  Currently when users attempt to add their Gmail account to their phone, they get an error indicating that the browser (Edge) is not supported and provides links to download other browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer).  But, as you will know, that’s not an option for Windows Phone users.

The issue, it seems, is with Google and this isn’t the first time this particular issue has popped up.

By any measure, Windows 10 has been successful for Microsoft and now it is reported that they have reached the 100 million install base plateau in only a few months since its release.  Petri is reporting that their insiders in Redmond are reported that the next generation of Windows has hit 100 million installs which would mean that in the last 30-odd days they have added some 25 million installs to the count.  This clearly makes Windows 10 the fasted adopted release of Windows to date and while one can argue free upgrades has helped that cause, it is still an important number for the company given their massive and often notoriously slow enterprise adoption rate.

Last week I told you about the all new Google Hangouts 4.0 that was released for Android as well as iOS (with a few less functions).  If you haven’t tried it out, do yourself a favor.  This is not the old Hangouts.  It’s far smoother an experience and generally a much nicer experience.  As part of that release, Google has quietly released a Google Hangouts website that allows you to use your browser to be your Hangouts app.  Like the apps for the mobile devices, it’s buttery smooth and beautifully designed.

Despite being publicly available for about a day and a half, rumors are already floating that Windows 10 will see its first major service pack next week.  The news was first broken on The Verge that Service Release 1 is expected in August and likely as soon as next week.  This is a far cry from the Service Pack mentality of Windows of old and is likely the path that Microsoft will continue to take as Windows 10 evolves.  Like it or not.

Windows 10, the next generation of Windows, has officially launched today in over 190 countries globally.  Windows 10 is a free upgrade for those who are running Windows 7 or 8.1 and it brings back the Start Menu which many loathed about Windows 8.1.  It also brings an all new browser experience in Microsoft Edge and has Cortana, the voice recognition personal assistant built into it.

Having used Windows 10 for several months, I can tell you that this feels like Windows yet feels completely new.  I personally think it is the best Windows release yet and after you upgrade I think you will agree.