The tricks and improvements you should know about in Windows 8.1

ModernUI menu changes

This is still the default way to start browsing the operating system, and here the first change I notice is that the access to the list of all applications installed on my machine is done by dragging the screen upwards.

It is undoubtedly much more convenient this way, and even more so when the software you add is no longer located by default in the main menu, but appears in this general list accompanied by a small mark of ">

Another tweak that I'm finding very useful is being able to configure the icons so that they are visible more than the default ones in the ModernUI menuNot as small as when I use the semantic zoom, but enough to be more comfortable for me to navigate.

I also want to point out the ability to further customize the ModernUI menu, by allowing you to change the background image, background color, and accent color. Personally, I haven't changed practically anything, but surely there is more than one who makes a very personal version of this screen.

In addition, I can set all my Windows 8.1 computers to inherit the same personalization settings automatically. Having a feel & look>"

Lastly, although we have already discussed this in other articles, in Windows 8.1 you can permanently close an application by dragging it to the bottom edge and waiting for its icon to turn around.

The settings panel has been made larger

"In the Windows 8.1 series closely, we&39;re keeping a close eye on the new PC Settings panel that&39;s grown a lot compared to the options we had in Windows 8.0. "

But it is not only that the adjustment possibilities have grown in quantity and depth, but also that it has much more comfortable tactile use and better organization.

Thus, the search engine that I can always access in the bar of ">the explanations of each function are not too cryptic.

Enhanced Photo Options

Certainly these are not valid devices for professional photographic uses, but they do allow me to take amateur image or video captures, walking at home, in a very similar way to how I do it with my mobile phone.

Thus, in the screen lock settings I have a new option, which I find very useful, which is to access to be able to use the device's camera (ideally on a tablet) by dragging the lock screen down.

Thus, in most situations where I can find myself using my Surface (for example) as a camera - bothering everyone around me around - I don't have to unlock the system, with the possible handling errors that might cause.

Another option that I find very interesting is to turn my tablet or computer into a very expensive digital frame. And this is so by being able to put a carousel of images as the background of the lock screen.

The best part is that the photo source can be inside my device, on an external drive like a USB, or even on Skydrive; the information repository in the Cloud that includes the operating system.

Finally, there's an improvement to how the key combination (Windows + Volume Down) works to take a screenshot on the Surface PRO. Which has been polished from its erratic and frustrating performance, to the near perfect execution of the action.

Skydrive, a Cloud device in all its facets

That the integration of the Information Society with Cloud services is a reality, is something that we cannot deny. The use of Google services, applications such as WhatsApp, or communications with Skype, reluctance regarding privacy and control of information has prevailed

Thus Windows 8.1 represents a giant step forward with the hybrid philosophy of physical and virtual devices united under a transparent interface for the end user. And it does this by further integrating the operating system with Skydrive, Microsoft's data storage platform.

Already it is not necessary or mandatory to install the platform client, because it is already included in version 8.1. Allowing it to be configured from the control panel of the operating system itself, marking the depth of the integration of Skydrive in Windows.

Thus, we will be able to have a ubiquitous ecosystem where our data such as documents, photographs, music and even videos, is not only physically on a specific PC, but rather I can access this multimedia material from any ecosystem device such as an Xbox, a smartphone or any PC, tablet or ultrabook .

Shop Facelift

The Store plays a major role in the present and future of Windows 8.x, and has received a major facelift in this update, making it much nicer and more useful to use.

Now the upper context menu, which is obtained by dragging my finger from the upper edge towards the center or by pressing the right mouse button, allows me to see at a glance the list of categories in which qualify available applications.

It also allows me to recover all those Modern UI apps that at some point I have installed on any machine where I have signed up with my account, and that can be up to 81 different devices to share and reinstall my software on

And also, like other panels, search has been greatly improved compared to how it worked in the previous version.

By the way, while I'm writing these lines I get a notification in the Store that an update has just arrived for practically all applicationswhich comes with Windows 8.1 by default; over 18 in my case.

Conclusions

One of the advantages of being an editor in XatakaWindows is the obligation to analyze current events and devices in depth, to give an opinion based on knowledge and experience own.

Thus, when the new version of Windows 8 was announced, I didn't hesitate to explore it in depth, getting the pleasant surprise that, under the guise of a cosmetic change, Microsoft is actually making a deep, long-haul upgrade of your operating system.

And it is taking the opportunity to add updated versions of a multitude of included tools such as Internet Explorer 11, or all the small advantages described in this article - and which are just the tip of the iceberg - which constitutes an excellent job by Redmond that, in addition, will be able to enjoy for free all those of us who have already installed version 8.0

In XatakaWindows | Windows 8.1, everything you need to know