Windows 8.1 preview: many small tweaks make for a significant update
You can now accept Skype calls while the PC is locked, or trigger the camera and take photos. There is also an option to use a Photo Frame mode that takes pictures from your computer, SkyDrive, and Windows Phone to display a collage of images.
Microsoft is also borrowing some more ideas from Windows Phone 8, introducing new large and small Live Tiles. Desktop apps will also use colorful tiles by default, and developers will have the option to create richer versions.
In 8.1 Microsoft doesn't pin apps to the Start Screen by default; instead it puts them in the All Apps view. This view includes filters to sort apps by how frequently they're used or by designated group, and the option to find applications by name.
Microsoft is also changing how the Start Screen looks somewhat, with new personalization options with additional colors and shades, as well as the ability to have Start Screen backgrounds that include motion. This personalization extends to allowing a desktop background to be used behind the Start Screen, easing the jarring transition between the two modes. Rearranging apps on the Start Screen is also easier in Windows 8.1: Users will now be able to select and arrange multiple apps at the same time.
By default, if you click a link from an app, like Mail, in Windows 8.1 you'll be thrown into a 50 / 50 view that snaps Internet Explorer next to Mail. If you open a picture from an email or elsewhere, the view will open as 40 / 60 with more space dedicated to the photo application. Any app can also have multiple windows, letting you open two websites side-by-side, for example, and extend them across multiple monitors. On high-resolution screens, the number of apps you can snap alongside one another increases with the monitor's resolution — we saw four apps snapped on a 27-inch screen.
Any applications that are installed or pinned to the Start Screen, along with any arrangement settings, are automatically synced to all other Windows 8.1 PCs under a single Microsoft account.
Microsoft is also bringing back the Start button in Windows 8.1
"We've taken the Search feature and made Search to be the one box you can use for your PC, files, settings, and also for the web and information within apps on your PC."
"The entire OS is now powered by the Cloud and powered by SkyDrive," SkyDrive storage will now show up in File Explorer or Windows 8 apps as another method to save and retrieve files alongside This PC (the new name for My Computer)
Microsoft is introducing Internet Explorer 11 with Windows 8.1. Changes include tabs being moved to the bottom with unlimited tabs and subfolders for favorites. Website owners will be able to create their own Live Tiles with IE11 that can be pinned to the Start Screen with access to an RSS stream.Microsoft will also sync tabs now across Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone,
Microsoft is also improving its onscreen keyboard.
Other improvements include a focus on revamping the touch-friendly control panel.
Additional built-in apps in Windows 8.1 include new touch-friendly calculator and alarm apps. Microsoft has also done some work to improve photo and music experiences on 8.1, with new options to use tools like crop and rotate to edit and touch up photos. Xbox Music is greatly improved with a focus on playing music quickly.
Microsoft is also building in a Reading List function into the Share charm for Windows 8.1. "Think of it as a place to save rich bookmarks that I want to get back to, for the entire PC,"
There are substantial updates to the News, Weather, Sports, Travel, and Maps apps in Windows 8.1, but the company is also introducing some new ones: Health & Fitness and Food & Drink. Health & Fitness provides access to exercises and does weight and calorie tracking in the cloud. Food & Drink includes access to recipes and shopping lists. Microsoft has added a "hands-free mode" to its Food & Drink app that lets 8.1 users swipe between recipes by waving their hands in front of a standard webcam.
The Camera app in 8.1 also includes full panoramic support with Photosynth directly built-in