Microsoft announces Windows 10 Creator’s Update

[Batu69]

Today, Microsoft is hosting a Windows 10 event in New York City, at which it's likely to unveil a new Surface all-in-one PC, and possibly some other devices and peripherals. We've also been expecting to hear some official details on the next major update to its OS - but it looks like one key detail may have been revealed prematurely.

 

The Windows Store listing for the new Microsoft Paint app - developed under the codename 'Newcastle' - doesn't offer much information about the new app, but it does include this intriguing paragraph:

This application requires joining the Windows Insider Program (https://insider.windows.com) and installing the Windows 10 Creators Update (Build 14800 or greater)

Windows Insiders are familiar with the next big Windows 10 update by its codename, 'Redstone 2'. But while the Redstone 1 update eventually became known as the Anniversary Update, which was released in August, it looks like the next one may be called the 'Creators Update'.

 

It's worth noting that this could just be placeholder text, and it's possible that Microsoft may announce an entirely different name for the update. We'll hopefully find out today at the company's event.

 

We're at the event to bring you all the details of what's announced today, and you can also watch it live with us right here. Source: Windows Store via @bdsams

 

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[Batu69]

Windows 10 “Creator’s Update” will be coming for free this spring

 

 

NEW YORK—Although Microsoft has released a number of new Windows builds to members of its insider program since the August release of the Anniversary Update, so far these haven't contained much by way of substantial new features. The contents of the next major update to Windows 10 have remained largely unknown.

 

That changed today. At its NYC event, Microsoft revealed some—though the company stresses, not all—of what we should expect to see when the update is released next year. And as with the Anniversary Update, the "Creator's Update" will focus on various key areas such as productivity and gaming.

3D features

"3D" is a big deal in the Creator's Update, and Microsoft demonstrated the operating system's capability to quickly scan, modify, and print objects with 3D printers. The stated goal was to make "3D creation" as simple as the process is for taking a 2D picture or video. On stage, MS presenter Heather Alekson used HP's X3 Windows Phone to perform a quick walk-around scan of a sand castle, which then appeared on the phone as a textured 3D model.

 

Also introduced was an update to Microsoft's venerable pack-in Paint application: it's now "Paint 3D." The application was shown transforming a set of pictures into a "3D memory," which involved importing the scanned sand castle model and then manipulating photos of the presenter's family around in it. The big tie-in, though, was with Minecraft—Microsoft showed off the ability to export creations from Minecraft into an online studio at Remix3D, where they can be modified in Paint 3D or printed on a 3D printer. Paint 3D also allows the creation of custom emoji and direct exporting of 3D-rotating images to Facebook.

 

The push for 3D isn't limited to Paint—Microsoft demonstrated the use of similar 3D flare in Powerpoint. Specifically, the Remix3D community is available as an import source in Microsoft Office applications, enabling users to add 3D models and animations to presentations and other documents (just in case your Powerpoint presentations weren't big enough already).

Reality, virtual or augmented

Continuing the "creativity" theme, Microsoft's Taj Reid showed off the Edge browser's augmented reality integration by donning a HoloLens and manipulating more objects from Remix3D on stage. Far more interesting, though, was Microsoft's tease of a new set of virtual reality accessories and a 3D "space" similar to

 

what's available in other existing 3D headsets. The main thing Microsoft appeared interested in demonstrating was integration with user-created 3D objects, though the company also demonstrated a 3D "holo-tour" of Rome from within the headset.

 

The headsets will be manufactured by a spread of OEMs: the slide showed logos from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer. They will all include "inside-out" tracking, which means no need for any external sensors. These offerings will start at $299 in contrast to the much more expensive HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. There were no additional details on the available feature sets or what the upper end of the price spectrum will be.

Placing people at the center

After a brief gaming demonstration, MS Windows specialist Allison O'Mahoney took the stage to discuss how Microsoft is prioritizing "people" in the Creator's Update. O'Mahoney explained that Microsoft thought important contacts were being buried in the complexity of apps; Microsoft is therefore changing how sharing and other person-to-person interactions work. Rather than trying to find a "share" link within applications and then finding a contact to share with, the process is turned sort of on its head. Important contacts gain a spot on the taskbar, and you can drag documents to them to immediately share. Sharing also gains a more prominent place in all Microsoft applications.

 

Additionally, Windows gains a new popup panel (situated above the contact list in the task bar) that contains Skype, Mail, and other communications apps. This feature lets you see all of a contact's messages across multiple mediums in a single place. Additionally, contacts can now send "shoulder taps," which cause small animated emojis to appear above their icon in the task bar.

More in store

Rumored Windows 10 features that Microsoft didn't show off on stage today include the Office Hub, which should provide tighter integration between Windows 10 and Office 365, with Office now gaining a panel (similar to the one that pen-based apps received in the Anniversary Update) that provides direct access to apps and recent documents. We also saw nothing of Working Sets, another productivity feature that is supposed to allow groups of related documents and files to be handled as a unit; they can be pinned to the Start menu or task bar.

 

The VR and AR headset support glimpsed was tantalizing but raised more questions than it answered. We don't know if any of the alternate VR interfaces for Windows will make it onto competing VR headsets, like the HTC Vive, or if there will be any compatibility crossover with SteamVR or Oculus Home. Microsoft and Valve have a fractious relationship—in 2012, Valve CEO and founder Gabe Newell described Windows 8 as a "catastrophe" that threatened to do major harm to the PC market.

 

Microsoft's development of the Windows Store means that it is in direct competition with Valve and its Steam store, putting the two companies in direct competition with one another, in spite of their interdependence.

 

This week, Microsoft is releasing Insider builds of the Creator's Update for testers to start using. The final version will be available this spring, at no cost, on all Windows 10 devices.

 

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/10/windows-10-creators-update-will-be-coming-for-free-this-spring/

[Jordan]

What’s New in Windows 10’s Creators Update, Arriving Spring 2017

 

The Windows 10 Creators Update–also known as Redstone 2–is due to hit PCs in Spring 2017. Like other updates to Windows 10, it’s free, and includes a host of new features.

The big features that were announced at Microsoft’s October 26, 2016 event, though we’ve also included a list of smaller features they didn’t mention, but we know are coming. You can play with many of these features today by joining the Windows Insider Preview program, while others will hit the Insider Previews later on.

 

3D for Everyone

 

Microsoft is making a big bet on 3D with the Creators update. This is the company that bought Minecraft, after all.

A new Paint 3D application allows you to work with and create 3D models. You can scan an object with a smartphone using the “Windows Capture 3D Experience” and then insert it into a Paint 3D scene and modify it. Microsoft showed this off using a Windows Phone, but said it envisioned this being possible on any device–in other words, iPhone and Android users should be able to do this, too.

 

The Microsoft Edge browser now supports 3D content. It can be used to upload and download 3D models from a community website, including models exported from Minecraft and SketchUp. Windows can then print any type of 3D model to a 3D printer, which means Minecraft players can bring their creations into the real world.

Microsoft PowerPoint gains 3D models and cinematic 3D animations for transitions like Morph, so those 3D models can be incorporated into presentations. Microsoft will be adding more 3D features to Office applications like Word and Excel over the next year.

Mainstream Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Headsets

 

Mixed Reality–which includes Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Holographic computing according to Microsoft–is another big focus of Microsoft’s. This works hand in hand with the 3D support. Microsoft’s own HoloLens headset, for example, is a mixed reality headset. It allows you to see through the headset to the real world, and digital images are superimposed on that image of the real world.

 

With HoloLens, you’ll be able to download a 3D model from Edge or create one in Paint 3D and virtually place it somewhere in the real world.

You’ll be able to create a custom space in virtual reality and decorate it with your own furniture and apps, like you would another room. Apps can be placed on shelves. There’s also a new application called HoloTour, which lets you explore locations around the world using a virtual reality or augmented reality headset.

 

 

 

Most excitingly, though: Microsoft is partnering with Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo to create mainstream mixed reality headsets. They’ll work without any additional tracking hardware that needs to be placed in the room. “Zero need for a separate room. Zero need for a complicated setup”, as Microsoft put it. These headsets will include cameras so they’re capable of mixed reality–think Pokémon Go, but in a headset. Best of all, headset prices will start at $299, so they’ll be much more affordable than Microsoft’s own $3000 HoloLens hardware. They’re also much cheaper than the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality headsets, which start at $599 and $799, respectively.

Game Broadcasting for Windows 10 and Xbox One

 

Microsoft’s Game DVR feature, which already can record a video of your gameplay in the background and upload it to social services, is gaining a “Broadcast” button. It’ll be able to stream your gameplay to Xbox Live in real time, and your Xbox Live friends will receive a notification that you’re broadcasting. This will be built into both the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. It’s powered by Beam, a service Microsoft purchased in August.

However, this feature can only stream to Microsoft’s own Xbox Live service. It’ll likely be popular on the Xbox One, but alternatives like Twitch and YouTube are very popular on PC, and Microsoft’s built-in feature doesn’t support them.

Contact Prioritization with Windows MyPeople

 

As part of a plan to “place people at the center of Windows”, Microsoft is adding a “Windows MyPeople” feature to Windows 10. You’ll be able to drag and drop people to an area to the right side of your taskbar, giving you quicker, more convenient access to the few key people you regularly communicate with.

These people are prioritized when you use the “Share” feature in Windows, making it faster to share stuff with your close friends and family.

 

Microsoft is also integrating Mail, Skype, Xbox Live, Skype for Business, and SMS messages with the Windows MyPeople feature, making it easier to prioritize and organize messages from these people, no matter what app they use to send the message. These people can also send “shoulder taps”, which are animated emojis that pop up from your taskbar.

Other New Features

 

The Creators update includes a variety of other important features, many of which Microsoft didn’t announce at the event. Here’s what we already know about:

• OneDrive File Placeholders: Windows 8.1 introduced “placeholder” files for OneDrive–files that appeared in File Explorer but were actually stored in the cloud and only downloaded when you needed them. Microsoft removed this feature in Windows 10, but an “on-demand sync” feature looks likely to arrive in Windows 10 to replace it.
• Blue Light: Windows 10 is getting a “Blue Light” feature, which works similarly to the venerable f.lux utility. Many operating systems have been adding this feature lately, including iOS with Night Shift and Android with Night Mode.
• Skype SMS Forwarding: Skype now supports SMS forwarding, allowing you to send and receive text messages from your computer, similar to iMessage on macOS. Unfortunately, this only works if you’re also using the Skype Preview app on a Windows 10 Phone.
• Improved Upgrading: When you uninstall built-in apps like Mail and Maps, they won’t automatically be reinstalled when you upgrade Windows. Windows will now respect your choice. You can always reinstall those apps from the Store, if you want them.
• A New Windows Defender Interface: Microsoft will be overhauling Windows Defender’s interface in the Creators Update, replacing the old desktop application with a modern “Universal Windows Platform” app that looks more at home on Windows 10.
• Gaming Tournaments: The Xbox app is gaining support for custom tournaments. Create a tournament and your friends can join it, playing on either Xbox One or Windows 10 PC if an Xbox Live-enabled game runs on both platforms.
• File Explorer Notifications: File Explorer is gaining a new “product education feature” that provides information about Windows features in your file manager. You can disable these notifications though, if you like.
• Microsoft Edge Improvements: Microsoft Edge now allows you to “snooze” tabs. Snooze a tab and it will close temporarily. Later, Cortana will pop up with a reminder telling you to check out that website again. It’s a way to remember websites for later without keeping the tabs open forever. Edge will also allow you to export your favorites to an HTML file.
• Improved PIN Login: When signing in with a numerical PIN, you don’t have to worry about pressing the Num Lock key. The PIN field will behave as if the Num Lock key is always enabled. No more fighting with Num Lock!
• Wi-Fi Control Improvements: When you disable Wi-Fi, you can configure it to automatically turn on in one hour, in four hours, or in one day. By default, it will be kept disabled until you manually re-enable it.
• Bash on Ubuntu on Windows 10 Updates: The Windows Subsystem for Linux now supports Ubuntu 16.04. In the Anniversary Update, it only supports Ubuntu 14.04. Windows applications can also be launched from the Bash shell, too, making it more flexible.
• Action Center Improvements: Quick Action icons for quickly controlling settings have been improved. In addition, you’ll find volume and brightness sliders directly in the Action Center, making it easier to adjust these settings.
• More Interface Color Options: The Personalization screen now has a color picker, allowing you to choose any interface and window titlebar color. On the earlier versions of Windows 10, you can just select from a handful of available colors.
• “Pick Up Where I Left Off”, or “Flow”: Microsoft is working on a new Cortana feature that will prompt you to synchronize apps between your devices–for example, it could offer to open the tabs you have open on your phone when you sit down at a PC. It’s similar in concept to Apple’s Continuity feature, which works between iOS and macOS.

 

This is just a small preview of what you’ll see when the Creators Update becomes stable. We’ll keep watching the Insider Preview builds and updating this post as Microsoft adds more new features.

 

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