Windows Blue ‘Blues’ – Is Windows 8.1 Really Perfect? – Techyv.com Explores

Aug. 26, 2013 - PRLog -- Windows 8.1 ‘Blue’, the long awaited Windows 8 update, has finally been released to manufacturing (RTMed), as confirmed by Windows SuperSite editor Paul Thurott in his Tweet on August 23. Set all your alarms for 4:00 am PST, October 17, 2013, as this is the time when the comprehensive Windows 8 update will be made available for free through the Windows Store to the existing users of Windows 8. This official announcement had come earlier this month from the Windows Blog where Brandon LeBlanc (http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2013/08/14/mark-your-calendars-for-windows-8-1.aspx) also notified that the update will be available preinstalled on the new devices at retail outlets worldwide from October 18, 2013 onwards.  Until then, the eager users can satisfy their appetite by trying their hands on the preview version, called ‘Windows 8.1 Release Preview’, which is available for download on the official website.

Windows 8.1 has brought with it a number of changes that aim at making the new OS more appetizing to the end users. The biggest change that everyone is talking about is that Windows 8.1 has got back the original ‘Start’ button, although you will still have to go to the ‘Start Screen’ instead of the ‘Start Menu’ for it. In fact, this new option promises a much better integration between the ‘Start Screen’ and the Desktop. Highlighting the same in the Microsoft Build Developer Conference held in San Francisco, CEO Steve Ballmer had said that Microsoft’s focus this time was more on “refining the blend” between the Modern UI interfaces and the desktop and most of the enhancements in Windows 8.1 were designed to ensure the change is not very jarring.

In addition to the boot-straight-to-desktop feature, Windows 8.1 presents an enhanced Windows Store, built-in tutorials, a feature to unpin Metro Apps, different tile sizes, improved security, a newer Internet Explorer - IE11, aggregated search, more snap views, and a multitude of several other business- and customer-focused features. But is that all we had expected? Is this new Windows update really a perfect one? Techyv.com reviewed it in detail and seems to have the answers.

“Windows has always needed a simple, cleaner interface for years and with the extended PC settings, the 8.1 -‘Blue’ version has certainly given us that. The interface now feels a lot more consistent and much easier to learn. Performance also feels much better, even for simple tasks like zipping up the files and folders. But despite all the good things being talked about Windows 8.1, there are several things that this update hasn’t taken care of”, says Sharath Reddy, an avid technical blogger and founder of Techyv.com. “For instance, Win 8.1 cannot be installed without having a Microsoft account. ‘Smart Search’, the privacy-busting feature implemented by Microsoft to track local searches by the user, is turned on by default and it is very complicated to turn it off. Windows 8.1 brings no improvement at this front. Also, the libraries seem to have been dismantled and they no longer appear by default on the left side of the File Explorer. This is just not it. There are many other missing features and issues that are likely to add to your Windows ‘Blue’ Blues”, he added. 

To know more on what Windows 8.1 missed, read the detailed review by Techyv.com - Windows Blue ‘Blues’ – Is Windows 8.1 Really Perfect (http://www.techyv.com/article/windows-%E2%80%98blue-blues...)?