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Windows 9: Storage Sense makes entry level devices much more

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This past week has been good for those of you who are anxiously awaiting Windows 9. With new videos showing off all sorts of features, one that seemed to slip by was Storage Sense, until now.

And thanks to new images, we can now get a better look at feature. As expected, the feature will help you manage your storage across multiple devices.

One of the features that will make lives easier is the ability to save content to a removable drive by default. Why would this be helpful? Well, for machines, like the entry-level Windows 8 devices that are coming out with low amounts of storage, you can now save content directly to an SD card. It's a very simple addition but one that will have a huge impact on the tablets that are now shipping for less than $200.

Considering that Windows is much more flexible with storage (multiple hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, OneDrive and more), this feature very well may be the best Windows solution yet for managing storage across multiple devices.

While the partner builds that have been released do lack some features, namely Cortana and the new IE12 interface, they do contain the new Start menu and windowed Modern apps. While we wait for Microsoft to formally announce Windows 9 (possibly later this month), this is as good as it gets, for now.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-st ... e-friendly
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Windows 9 Recap: Start menu, notification and virtual deskto

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If you are a fan of Windows 9, you will know that this week has been full of new information and even videos that show off the new features. While we wait for more info to be uncovered, there are features not included in these builds like Cortana and IE12.

Four videos hit the web this week, showing off the new Start menu, Notification Center, and virtual desktops.

The above video shows the new Start menu with Live Tiles and it looks very similar to the one that was shown off at BUILD back in the spring.

If Live Tiles are not your thing, you can make the Start menu look a bit more like the one from Windows 7. You can do this by removing all of the Live Tiles from the menu by right clicking on them, just like you do on the Start screen.

As we exclusively revealed back in August, virtual desktops will play a big part in Windows 9 and the video above shows how they will operate.

And finally, there is the new Notification Center that we first revealed a few weeks back as well in action below.

So far, this build has not been leaked to the general population but it is clear that users outside of Redmond do have their hands on the content.

This particular build came from a partner, likely in Germany, but the rest of us likely won't have to wait long to get our hands on the bits if the September 30th release date is true.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-re ... top-videos
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This is Windows 9's notification center in action

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While Windows Phone users have taken advantage of a notification center with the release of Windows Phone 8.1 earlier this year, Windows users have been stuck with an odd mix of balloon tips and app toast notifications that quickly disappear. With Windows 9, however, desktop users will also gain a notification center, and now a video has been released of it in action.

In a video published by WinFuture, the notification center can be seen aggregating alerts from both toast notifications sent by Windows Store apps and balloon tips sent in the traditional notification area on the taskbar. By clicking on the notification center icon in the taskbar, all the alerts are displayed with the application's name and a summary of the notification (in Skype, for instance, the text sent by a friend is displayed).

The notification center also displays the time an app sent an alert as well as a button to clear all notifications. Additionally, alerts in the notification center can be removed one at a time by clicking an "X" icon when hovering over them with a mouse. Alerts are segregated by app, with the video showing all Skype alerts displaying first, followed by all File Explorer alerts.

Windows 9, known internally at Microsoft as part of a wave of updates codenamed "Threshold," is expected to be officially revealed on Sept. 30. Major updates include the return of the Start menu, the addition of virtual desktops and the notification center. Microsoft's Cortana digital assistant, currently found in Windows Phone, is also expected to make the leap to Windows, though it's not fully clear how it will be implemented.

A public preview of Windows 9 is expected to be released on or near its Sept. 30 unveiling.

http://www.neowin.net/news/this-is-wind ... -in-action
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Windows 9: Storage Sense is coming too

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A few days back, Windows 9 build 9834 found its way to the web and since then, we have gotten detailed views of new features like the Start menu and virtual desktops. One item that seemed to slip under the radar is Storage Sense but that feature appears to be coming too.

This feature, which was first made available in Windows Phone 8.1, allows you to easily manage your internal and external (microSD) storage. The feature makes it simple to understand what is filling up your space such as apps, games, videos etc. Simply put, it's a total storage management solution in one app and it looks like it is coming to Windows 9 too.

The feature was spotted in the leaked screenshots from a partner build that was handed out to some folks in Germany. As you can see in the screenshot above, Storage Sense is in the list of options. Windows 8.1 already has Disk Space but we expect Storage Sense to replace this feature and offer up a more robust solution.

Considering that Windows is much more flexible with storage (multiple hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, OneDrive and more), this feature very well may be the best Windows solution yet for managing storage across multiple devices.

While the partner builds that have been released do lack some features, namely Cortana and the new IE12 interface, they do contain the new Start menu and windowed Modern apps. While we wait for Microsoft to formally announce Windows 9 (possibly later this month), this is as good as it gets, for now.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-st ... coming-too
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Windows 9: Wi-Fi Sense jumps to the desktop, too

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Thanks to the leak of a build of Windows 9, we have seen all sorts of information surface about features that are coming to the platform. Everything from Windows Phone features such as Cortana and the notification center to new ones such as virtual desktops. To no surprise, another Windows Phone feature will also be making its way to Windows 9: Wi-Fi Sense.

The feature, spotted in a leaked build of the operating system, makes it easy to automatically sign into public Wi-Fi spots by remembering the credentials and automatically entering them for future visits.

For example, if a user goes to a Wi-Fi hotspot regularly, this feature will let him or her to save login and password information. This will enable the user to sign in automatically the next time the device "senses" that the Wi-Fi hotspot is available.

Wi-Fi Sense also includes a feature where users can actually share their hotspot connection information with others via their Outlook.com, Skype and Facebook contacts. So if a group of friends gather at the same hotspot, one person can simply send that login and account info to a friend's without the others having to type it in manually.

It's not hard to see how this feature will be incredibly useful, as we fully expect Microsoft be able to sync these settings from phone to your laptop, too.

It's a simple idea, but when implemented properly, it will make your life a lot easier, as you wont need to remember or enter those pesky passwords every time you buy a new device.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-wi ... esktop-too
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Windows 9: More evidence of Cortana shows up

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In mid-July, Neowin broke the news that Cortana will be coming to Windows 9, and thanks to a leak of a build of the upcoming operating system, we can now see more evidence of the digital assistant.

As seen in the image above, the folks over at WinFuture.de (German) have found the resource files for Cortana. Unfortunately, as we have previously noted, this is a partner build of Windows 9 and, as such, some features are not enabled. Cortana is one of those features, along with Internet Explorer 12, which will have a new user interface.

But how does Cortana work? Well, we can answer that as our sources have shown us the feature. As of right now, Cortana is an app; it’s a simple app that opens up the personal digital assistant where you can then either type in your question or ask verbally inside a relatively small window; it's not a full-screen experience like you see on Windows Phone.

The app itself currently looks similar to that of Windows Phone, but takes up roughly 25% of your display, with Cortana being in the center; in terms of design, Cortana maintains her circle shape and is animated, too.

The cool thing about Cortana is that since Microsoft is updating her functionality so frequently, those features are also included in the desktop version as well. Microsoft has already said that Cortana will be updated at least twice a month, which means that by the time Windows 9 launches, Cortana will be significantly more robust than today.

Microsoft has been relatively quiet since announcing that the Start menu would be coming back to Windows at BUILD earlier this year. The current rumors say that a build may be shown off at the end of this month, but Microsoft hasn't officially announced any event.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-mo ... a-shows-up
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Microsoft has announced a Windows 9 event for September 30th

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Microsoft has announced a press event for September 30th in San Francisco to talk about the next version of Windows. While the invite does not specifically call out Windows 9, it is fully believed that the company will be announcing its new operating system at this event.

Currently referred to internally by the codename Windows Threshold, many, including ourselves, believe that Microsoft will call the project Windows 9.

A focus of the event will be about the enterprise too, which is not a surprise, considering the lack of enthusiasm from large corporations to deploy Windows 8. Look for Microsoft to talk directly to these partners about Windows 9 and how the specifically listened to enterprise feedback to build this version of Windows.

With the event a little over two weeks away, we won't have to wait long for Microsoft to talk about all the new features that are coming to the platform.

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-ha ... -francisco
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Re: Microsoft has announced a Windows 9 event for September

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Microsoft has started sending out invites for a new Windows event scheduled for September 30 in San Francisco and expected to bring us the very first official news on the upcoming Windows 9.

While the company didn’t specifically mention Windows 9 during its announcement, it did say that journalists should “join us to hear about what’s next for Windows and the enterprise.”

Previous speculation on the launch of Windows 9 preview indicated that Microsoft was indeed planning to bring out a testing version of the operating system by the end of the month, but the company has remained completely tight-lipped on the subject until now.

Of course, Redmond doesn’t want to share any other details until September 30, but expect more info about Windows 9 to surface as we get closer to the public launch of the preview.

Leaked screenshots pointing to Start menu, Cortana integration

Even though Microsoft is making really big efforts to keep everything related to Windows 9 away from our eyes and ears, a set of leaked screenshots that have recently reached the web have revealed some of the new features that could be part of the operating system.

The Start menu will indeed be integrated into Windows 9, and chances are that everyone could give it a try from the very first beta.

A desktop version of Cortana is also said to be prepared, but this time it isn’t very clear whether Microsoft wants to make it available for everyone from the get-go or it plans to roll out this feature at a later time.

Other improvements include multiple desktops, Internet Explorer 12, several changes to the Modern UI, plus the introduction of other Windows Phone-inspired features such as Storage Sense and Wi-Fi Sense.

Public launch in April 2015

Windows 9 is expected to launch in April 2015, but Microsoft will most likely keep its lips sealed regarding the release date during the September 30 event.

People close to the matter have indicated that Microsoft wants Windows 9 to reach RTM in early 2015, most like in February or March, while the product should see daylight in April.

One of the biggest changes that Microsoft could make to Windows 9 is a possible offering of a freeware license, with sources indicating that the operating system might in the end be available at no cost to those who are already running Windows 8.1.

Needless to say, such a decision would clearly boost early adoption and bring more users to Windows 9, but it remains to be seen whether Microsoft is ready to make such a significant change to its Windows product lineup.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsof ... 8914.shtml
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Windows 9 Will Support Unlimited Activations

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Windows 9 Will Support Unlimited Activations on Same Hardware

In addition to the many new features and slight interface changes that Microsoft is making to Windows 9, the company is also pondering some tweaks under the hood that could improve the experience you get with the new operating system.

According to new information coming from Russian Windows leaker WZor, who has a pretty really good track on revealing details about upcoming Microsoft projects, the software giant could change the way the activation system works in Windows 9 in order to provide users with more control of their license.

One of the biggest changes that Windows 9 could bring is an unlimited number of activations on the same hardware, so in case you purchase a license, you can activate it on your computer as many times as you want.

Microsoft hasn’t obviously disclosed any details on this new activation system, but more will be provided on September 30 during a dedicated press event.

Transfer your license easier to another PC

In addition to unlimited number of activations on the same hardware, Windows 9 will also come with some changes in terms of new PCs with the same license, so if you purchase a new computer and want to use your old license, that shouldn’t a problem.

At this point, the number of installations is limited to three when it comes to different hardware configurations, but Microsoft is reportedly pondering a change in this regard to make sure that users would be capable of transferring the operating system from one computer to another faster.

License tweaks will also be implemented in order to make it possible for computers running an older version of Windows to be updated to Windows 9 free of charge. At this point, however, it’s not yet clear who exactly is going to be allowed to get Windows 9 at no cost.

New anti-piracy tech

Last but not least, we’re also hearing that Windows 9 could come with new anti-piracy systems, including new code that would help the company prevent pirated copies of the new software from spreading all over the web.

Details are scarce at this point, but the company clearly needs to address the piracy issue with some new protection systems, but it remains to be seen how hard it would be for crackers to break into the operating system and find a way around its protection system.

The preview version of Windows 9 will come out on September 30 or a few days later, while the stable build is expected in April 2015 or even earlier.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows- ... 9103.shtml
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Windows 9: Resolution support up to 8k, better DPI scaling

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Thanks to the copious amount of leaks we have seen over the past few days, we are learning all sorts of new details about the OS. And if you are willing to believe this leak, which you should, it looks like Windows 9 will support higher resolution displays better than Windows 8.

For those of you who have used high DPI devices with Windows 8, you will know that the OS struggled with supporting these devices. Windows 8.1 made it a bit better but support for high resolution display is still not all that great from developers and even in some Microsoft branded products. But, that all appears to be changing with the next installment of Windows.

According to the folks over at PCportal, who appear to have an older build of Windows 9, it looks the next major installment will support high resolution displays up to 8K.

The image above shows the new sizes for the Windows Explorer icon found in Windows 9 and the image below shows scaling for classic apps that need to make use of the higher DPI.

Microsoft knows that higher resolution devices will become the norm during the lifecycle of Windows 9 and that is why they are including this support. While 8K may seem a bit high, in a few years from now, we have no doubt that it will become a standard resolution on high end machines.

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-9-re ... pi-scaling
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