Windows 8.1 Depth Hands-on experience-Start button regression, Microsoft service Depth Integration

When we last saw Windows 8.1, it was Microsoft that released a screenshot of the new operating system--although there were a lot of updates in terms of interface, functionality, and so on, because Microsoft didn't actually release the software that was available, our preview was more like a story. And there's nothing to play with ...

Now, slightly differently, Microsoft announced the Windows 8.1 preview open download at the start of build, meaning everyone could try out the features themselves. But anyway you are waiting for the download (in fact, we are), then let's take a look at our hands-on experience!

Before you start, talk about how to get a preview. Basically, Microsoft is ready to fill the Windows Store with the "Windows 8.1 here" link, so it should be quite difficult to miss it. The next thing to do is to click on the "Download" button, the others to Windows to deal with it! Beware, however, that not all apps can be used properly on Windows 8.1, or at least initially. Microsoft's goal is to have 100% of Windows 8 apps run on Windows 8.1, but now it's a preview, so there are some limitations that are expected.

As you must have heard, Windows 8.1 will put the Start button back in this matter. But... In fact, this is the case, now the task bar in the lower left corner of a more than a Start button (still can not choose to turn off), press down after the beginning of the previous menu is not, but the beginning of Windows 8 screen. In other words, in addition to hiding in the bottom left-hand corner of the hidden button to make it, and Windows 8 is not different, but there is really a sense of increased familiarity of the function.

To further increase the familiarity of Windows 7, you can right-click on the taskbar and select the content. Here you can choose to boot directly into the desktop, or for the desktop and start screen to choose the same tablecloth. This feels like a small change, but it's a great help for adding a sense of oneness to the desktop and the beginning of the picture, and it's no longer the feeling of two independent worlds.

For friends who often switch to the Metro interface in desktop mode, you can now have more personalized options. One of the biggest changes is a feature called Motion accents--which provides a real-time change of background when rolling over Tiles bricks--not much different from Android's dynamic desktop--and if you really want to say the difference, maybe the effect isn't particularly obvious.

Windows 8.1 Can do more with the lock screen, and you can choose to play your slideshow through different cut-and-go effects to show you photos on the local side or SkyDrive. Compared with previous, this time will only show you the photos taken, and no longer show some of the built-in pictures. In addition to the photo show, you can also directly on the lock screen to start the built-in camera directly to take photos, as long as you choose to enable this feature, you will not unlock the situation to start taking pictures. As with many similar functions, you can only view the photos you are currently taking without unlocking, and you cannot view or edit the old photo collection.

Now you can also listen to Skype's voice and video calls on a locked screen, like answering a phone on a smartphone. Finally, you can also control the control Panel settings on many PCs.

The new Windows 8.1 brings additional dynamic brick sizes for the start page: Large (SCM) provides about twice times the medium size with small (SGT) average size of 1/4 small. As before, to change the size only need to press the dynamic brick, and choose "Change size (Resize)" can be. We tried a little bit. Different dynamic brick sizes show differences in function, under the default interface, the weather App's size keeps the maximum size of the dynamic bricks, and at the end of the day, we choose to keep it that way, because once you shrink the app, you see only one sign of the sun, but if you keep it as it is, You can see a two-day range of weather forecasts, as well as a forecast and the highest temperature/low temperature information, as a whole, it's really good to stay the same.

As for the small dynamic brick section, Microsoft says it would be ideal for a whole collection of Apps, such as Adobe's Creative Suite software package. However, in our use, this size of the dynamic brick seems to be more suitable for sorting out those not very often used Apps, so that you can make good use of the precious start page space.

And after the start page supports different sorting methods, you can also skip the tedious process of slowly arranging these dynamic bricks. Windows 8.1 provides different ways to organize, such as letters, the most common use, and the installation time to organize individual Apps shortcuts on the page. Alternatively, you can choose whether to add to the Start menu after the APP has been installed, which is to look at your personal meaning, and we prefer to keep the menu simple.

Microsoft offers Surface Pro as a Windows 8.1 tester, but this tablet computer is not enough to give the system features that this verse talks about. So far, Windows 8 offers only two Snap View split window modes, and the proportions are fixed. By the 8.1 version, Microsoft says it all depends on your screen resolution-exactly the horizontal pixel level, which accommodates more than one application per 500 horizontal pixels. The problem, though, is that even with a high-resolution screen, the high DPI ratio actually restricts the number of split windows. For example, although Surface Pro has a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution screen, you can still make only two split windows. (If you use the Toshiba Kirabook of the 2,560 x 1,440 resolution screen, you can split out four side-by window.) ）

You can pull the black side of the split edge to adjust the size of the split window, the system will not run out of desktop space directly affect the existing window screen, but will appear prompted to ask you whether you want to replace one of the positions. This is a pretty reasonable design, but now you can't just pull it up to maximize the window, instead of pulling it up to maximize it. It's not difficult, but it's counter-intuitive.

The search function for Winsows 8.1 has also changed. Before this you can only search for files, settings and programs and other items, now add more search capabilities, such as typing "Sk" will appear SkyDrive folder. In addition, you can see the web search results, or in the search screen directly to the music that has been transferred to the Xbox. A small music dial will appear on the screen after the click.

The new embedded search functionality will be more efficient, but not consistent with the visual experience. If you trigger a search function called Search Hero, you'll get a result screen in APP format that accommodates images, web links, and extensions to installed software such as maps or Wikipedia. This looks pretty good and provides practical information as much as possible (well, filtering the color of a picture may not be practical.) The only thing puzzling is that not all search results trigger this function, feeling that the "search Hero" is based on the name or location of a specific vocabulary to start.

Before actually using the new virtual keyboard, listening to Microsoft's introduction only makes people wonder how new features can be used without practice. But please believe us, after use it is indeed as Microsoft promised. Input when the keyboard appears above the word suggested, you can use your finger to sweep the space bar around the selection, the decision to press to enter the word. The purpose of this function is to make the user's hand do not need to leave the keyboard area to achieve smooth typing purposes. In our testing process, even for the first time, this feature has never been accidentally identified as the input spacebar, and the choice of suggested words will trigger a softly pleasing sound effect as a hint.

The new virtual keyboard has the ability to enter two symbols for a single keystroke, such as a question mark that adds an exclamation point. After the long press the key can be in a fixed position, see the surface of the second character option. (The exclamation point is fixed above the question mark) when you remember the position of the symbol, you can throw away the action of the long pressure, and just swipe up and type the exclamation. The movement is quite subtle, but the keyboard identification is quite accurate, a bit like the difference between a press and a fingerprint reader (the one that you used the fingerprint reader should know, the feeling of a bit of compressions and a combination of light sweeps). In the process we also did not encounter the wrong side of the keystroke.

We're here specifically to pull SkyDrive out, because there's a deeper integration between the two in Windows 8.1 that makes people want to use the cloud space. It will provide an experience of seamless integration of files between devices, SkyDrive will automatically be in the background sync between the files, the process is almost instantaneous, in the computer upload photos to SkyDrive, in a few seconds Windows 8 SkyDrive app shows.

As mentioned in earlier previews of the article, the Windows 8.1 application marketplace has a large facelift. Some popular items such as "Most popular pay programs" are placed in the home window, and the categories can be pulled from the screen to make it easier to navigate. The relevant information such as assessment and evaluation is still in the download screen of the software, from left to right will see evaluation, star rating, recent comments, software description and compatibility installation information.

And perhaps most importantly, Microsoft has added a recommended application feature to the software downloads page. This is good news for both users and developers, who do not need to spend time digging software, and the latter can increase exposure.

We are delighted that Microsoft has finally catered to the trend by introducing a reading list feature that lets us not store the site through traditional bookmarks. This new feature is similar to what you would look like, when viewing a site, simply slide out of the share and choose to read the list to store the site.

It is displayed in the same way as the image above, with a 20/80-mode display on the screen, which, when opened, slides from left to right as usual. It will be sorted by the time you store and display a small picture with the title of the site. Then when you no longer need this JI registration, just gently slide it from the reading list, and then click on a small delete button.

On the Xbox game side, Microsoft is still not saying anything new, but they have some updates on music and movies. Let's start with the music! In the Radio option you can create a list and will match the suggested singers with the album. When you choose Adele on the map, it will also advise you like Jamie Cullum singer, and this feature is not a special subscription application. We're not sure if this change will work for Asian singers, but it's a new feature worth looking forward to.

The music interface has also been changed, and you will be able to find your music in the left-hand column more easily without having to do multiple click searches. As for the film, it will be able to be transmitted to the Xbox, almost the same as SmartGlass, which will appear on every Windows 8 appliance in the future.

IE11 will also appear in the new edition, it will support unlimited paging, and it will also be transferred from the above to the following, so that you can see the Web site at the same time also very pleasing to see the page, do not look at the top of the eye from the above, or because forget that function there and slowed down the time.

Camera, the most important thing is to join the Panorama mode, but its panorama is not as we have on the IOS or Android widely seen in the landscape panorama, but the use of multiple photo-integration method. The specific technical name we have not yet got the answer, just from the effect of the past is probably Microsoft's own Photosynth service, and it does not need you to press any buttons, as long as the photos moved to the appropriate location. When used, it will provide you with the relevant guidelines to let you know what you have been photographed, and the effect of the shooting is better than the general panoramic picture. Is fear not going to work? Rest assured, Photosynth's panoramic shooting function is simply to no use, only idiots will not be used, want to try immediately then take the hands of IOS or WIndows Phone 8 download to try it! Android users? Sorry, Microsoft has not yet launched Photosynth for Android!

Compared with the past simple picture browser, now the function can be much! You can modify your photos here, including color temperature, hue, saturation, contrast, brightness, highlights, shading and rotation, trimming and removing red-eye, and so on. You can also put some special effects on the photos, such as Vignette and regional softening, and more you can choose the color enhancement effect to make the color of your picture more intense, all of which you just need to use your fingers to raise the screen more than you can do. Of course, such a function is not very powerful, but you are not particularly to download other software, because the basic you can do it here, and then share it, save you in the process of the time back and forth.

Introducing the clock function absolute is a stupid thing to do, because it's something that almost everyone uses, especially if it's the same as the Shi you've seen since you were a kid. The clock here has three functions, alarm clock, Timer and Countdown, in which the countdown can be selected 15 minutes or less, the alarm clock can be set up to 10, and its set method is to directly represent the circle of the hour and the minute hand of the circle to the place you want, all this difficult? Not at all! As long as you really get up to play will certainly know, and its biggest advantage is that you choose the speed is more than the current one of our common digital jump-word faster. It all looks good, but do you use a computer to make an alarm clock? Um ... It might be useful for users who use small flat panels.

Light look at the small title, Introduction Calculator is a more than the introduction of the clock more stupid thing (real stupid is to introduce only a button registration sound function). However, it is so stupid we will not say, because the calculator in addition to general calculation and mathematical calculation, but also for different unit conversion, that is, you can choose different units in this conversion, is a very useful progress.

Is the change in Windows 8.1 enough to change the way you think about Windows 8 people? We don't know, but there are a lot of features that are worth mentioning, such as desktop/start-sharing tablecloth, boot to desktop, enhanced search, more window options, redesigned Windows Store, and so on, which may be worth giving Windows 81 more chances. As for friends who are now using Windows 8, this is a very heavyweight Service Pack and is recommended for everyone to upgrade. Friends who normally work in desktop mode should be able to download the preview version, as usual in Metro mode friends may want to consider the APP compatibility problem!