Windows 10: 7 Cool Things Your Office Will Love

There’s something inherently cool and exciting about updates in operating systems — especially if you can get them for free.

Like in February when Microsoft released a new dark theme for Office 2016 and all my office programs went cool, edgy, and black. The cool, dark theme was soon coveted by others in the office, and the race to be part of the “it” crowd with the dark theme was on. Sure, there were some dissenters in the office who had horrible flashbacks to the stone age of computers with black or green screens and flashing green cursors who just couldn’t cross over… but for us at the cool table, we were now the edgy ones.

This may seem like a superficial reason to love Windows 10 – and I’ll agree that the dark theme is purely aesthetic for the operating system – but this certainly isn’t the only reason to upgrade to Windows 10. The following 7 are reasons are ones that will help you and your office work better, not harder. So if you’ve been resisting that call to upgrade or just need a few more reasons to help make that decision for you, check them out.

7 Cool Things Your Office Will Love About Windows 10

1. Microsoft Edge
   

   Internet Explorer. According to a 2005 Urban Dictionary definition, “Internet Explorer” is “a simple Windows XP tool which allows the user to browse to Mozilla.com and download Firefox, a web browser.”Now, while I can’t agree to that entirely (I’m a die-hard Google Chrome girl), I can say that even the government hated on IE. The bane of users and web developers alike, Microsoft has finally sent their despised browser to the graveyards after 20 years much to the delight of web users.

   Holding nothing back, Windows 10 comes with a brand new web browser brazenly named Microsoft Edge. Like its name, it’s clean and sharp. Its design and feel carry the overall Windows 10 theme and is easy to use. A few perks thrown in this time around are:

   Reading View: In line with Windows 10’s desire to streamline and focus activities, Microsoft Edge introduced a reading view into their browser. This allows the user to focus solely on the web page’s content by eliminating any other distractions from the page. Not ready to read yet? Save it to your reading list for later.

   Web Page Markup: Though this may not be as helpful to traditional PC users as it is to those with touch screens (Windows 10 is very touch friendly), Edge’s web page markup is still a pretty cool tool. Allowing you to draw, type, enter notes, and highlight anything of interest to you on a page, Markup also allows you to save these marked pages in One Notebook and even share it with a friend for collaboration.

   Cortana Integration: A fully integrated assistant, Cortana follows you onto Edge. Need a definition? Highlight the word, right click and “Ask Cortana”. She’ll come back with a bevy of answers.

   Dark Theme: Matching the new dark theme that Microsoft Office has come out with, Microsoft Edge also comes with its own dark theme making it easy on the eyes for working in unlit or dark rooms. Also, you get to continue your reign of edgy coolness.

2. Cortana
   

   Those gamers reading will most likely recognize her name from Halo. But Cortana is Windows’ answer to “OK Google” and Siri – just in desktop form. This virtual personal assistant can help you to organize your life through voice commands or through the handy-dandy Cortana circle at the bottom right of your screen. She can learn your voice to only take orders from you. She can also answer simple questions about the weather or handle more complicated questions you might ask such as, “Hey Cortana, how long with it take me to drive to Wegmans in DeWitt, NY right now?” Learn how to customize your Cortana here. >>>

3. Universal Apps
   One Windows to rule them all. Ok, maybe “rule” is a bit strong but the apps on Windows 10 use a new universal platform allowing them to run on almost any Windows device while only paying once.Just be aware that these universal apps will only run on Windows 10. Any purchased on previous platforms are out of luck.
4. Virtual Desktops

   Windows may be a little late to the game here but Windows 10 is the first version to offer virtual desktops! These multiple desktop workspaces allow you and your office to easily work with multiple programs and projects while freeing up space on your desktop and helping keep your head organized. As the Windows blog says, “(W)e know that there are ‘filers’ who like to separate things into subsets and then there are ‘pilers’ who prefer to tackle tasks in a single group. We see this regularly with the way people handle email and directory structures for files.”

5. Start Menu
   As human beings, we’re visual in nature. Colours, shapes, images, they all catch or eye much quicker than a bunch of words do. And as we’ve seen in picture-centric social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, they’re also a bit addicting.The Start Screen of Windows 8 tried to tap into this but like a cross-eyed cat trying to get that bird, they just missed the mark. Windows 10, however, kills two birds with one cat… er, stone. Let me explain…

   Clicking on the bottom left Windows logo in Windows 10 opens up the traditional Start Menu with familiar functions such as Most Used, File Explorer, Power, and All Apps. But Windows 10 Start also combines the more-modern look of 8 with colourful images and tiles of recommended or favorite programs and apps.

   Like the folder function in Apple iOS, these apps and programs can be customized and grouped together for easy access… Currently, mine are bundled into Search/Weather/News, Photo/Website Editing, Media, and Office (for my favorite office programs as well as my work office apps).

   One of the things I love the most about this new Windows Start is that the entire thing is customizable. The tile sizes, the colour schemes, what apps and programs, everything. And if you really prefer the Windows 8 style, Windows 10 Start can be used in tablet or full-screen mode.

6. Start Up Speed
   The startup speed of Windows has always been an… issue. In the time it would take my Windows 8 to start, I had made coffee, caught up with my co-workers at the water cooler, read through the news headlines, made a crock pot stew, knitted a blanket for my mum, and trained for the upcoming triathlon.Ok, so I exaggerate but seriously – the start up speed for Windows 10 in booting up, waking from sleep, and waking from hibernation is less than that of Windows 7 and 8. And quicker start up speeds means the quicker you can hit the ground running.
7. FREE until 7/29/2016 for 7 & 8.1 (paid for XP or Vista)
   

   Last, but certainly not least, is that it’s a FREE UPGRADE for users of Windows 7 and 8.1. Now, in recent news, Microsoft has changed this from a “suggested” upgrade to a “recommended” upgrade. There have even been very cranky stories of Microsoft turning that fabulous top right X to close out the suggestion into a full-blown launch of the upgrade itself.While I can’t say for certain that Microsoft has approved and installed this backhanded way of moving their users to the Windows 10 platform, I can say that I highly encourage users to take advantage of the free upgrade as soon as they can.

I understand that with any change to an OS (especially ones as established as Windows 7 and 8.1 are) there is a certain level of user resistance. After all, you’ve gotten used to where everything is located and learning a new way of doing things causes friction and frustration both in time and user satisfaction. But in my own experience, and I’ve used all four OSes, I must say that after using Windows 10 for seven months, I’m really enjoying it on almost every level.

At the time of this blog post, there are still 63 days left to install Windows 10 for free. Mainstream support for Windows XP ended in 2009. Windows Vista ended in 2012 and Windows 7 ended January 13^th, 2015. As Microsoft abandons these elderly operating systems, and as hard as it is for us to step out of our comfort zone and learn something new (especially when we don’t feel the old thing is broken), sometimes change is a really good thing. And in this case, Windows 10 is that really good thing.

Have you been using Windows 10? Or are you part of the resistance? Let me know your feelings on either side down in the comments!

Oh, and if your office is ready to make the leap to Windows 10, Armory5 can upgrade your office for you! There’s no need to go it alone when our experienced staff can turn a skeptical transition into an exciting and happy one.