Microsoft Unveils Windows 10 with New Smart Menu

Tom's Guide / Michael Andronico
Updated

Microsoft has no time for the number 9. After months of anticipation surrounding the follow up to Windows 8, the Redmond software giant has decided to jump the gun and unveil Windows 10. Microsoft's new OS brings a wealth of desktop-friendly features while promising a unified experience across smartphones, tablets PCs and TVs.

As hinted at earlier this year at Microsoft Build, Windows 10 will mark the long-awaited return of a Windows 7-style Start menu. The Windows 10 start menu combines Windows 7's convenient column of app icons with a sidebar for Windows 8's colorful, touch-friendly live tiles. There's also a "Me" tile at the top of the start menu that displays whichever user is logged in.

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Microsoft teased the possibility of a more unified Windows earlier in the year, and Windows 10 seems to deliver on that promise by offering an app marketplace in which applications can be bought and updated across smartphones, laptops and tablets all at once. Windows 10 also has its eyes on the enterprise user, with the ability to easily separate personal and business data.

Multitaskers can look forward to Windows 10's new Task View feature, which lets you get a quick glance of all of your open apps in the vein of Expose mode in Apple OS X. The software will let you switch between multiple desktops, with a Snap Assist feature that lets you easily swap in apps from any of those open desktops.

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