BY KARISSA BELL AND PETE PACHAL
In a briefing with media on Thursday, Microsoft Senior Vice President Joe Belfiore said Microsoft would indeed release Windows 10 this summer, but on PCs only to start. Since Windows Phone 8.1 came much later than Windows 8.1, the overall product cycle for phones is on a later track. Belfiore also said the arrival of Windows 10 on other device types — including the HoloLens and Surface Hub — would be "staggered."
When asked about whether Windows 10 would have a "release to manufacturing" (RTM) release — when the "final" software is given to PC makers, prior to general release — Belfiore was careful with his words. At some point Microsoft will give a version of Windows 10 for manufacturers to use as the build for new hardware, he said, but how that would differ from the upgrade that all Windows users will be able to download to Windows 10-ready machines (pretty much all Windows 8.1 PCs) is still being determined. He did say that if there is a difference between those releases, they would be weeks apart and not months.
Microsoft Edge
Windows' new browser finally got its official name at Build 2015: Microsoft Edge. It has a much more minimalist and touch-friendly design than its predecessor, Internet Explorer. Users will be able to mark up web pages and Cortana will be baked in. Even better, it will no longer have the bifurcated experience that plagued IE in Windows 8/8.1.
The main thrust behind launching a new browser is performance, and Microsoft claims that in tests of the preview software, it beats even the category-leading Google Chrome. If you had hopes of getting Edge on OS X or Android, however, you can forget it, at least for now: The company says there are no plans to bring Edge to other platforms.
Resizable windows and Aero Glass return
Resizable overlapping windows is returning with Windows 10, Microsoft confirmed. It's a simple but significant update for many users who have long complained about Windows 8's reliance on full screen apps. Company executives even made a joke about this during Thursday's keynote, saying the running joke on the engineering team was that Windows 8 should have actually been called "Window 8" because of it.
Another legacy feature slated to make its return in Windows 10 is the "Aero Glass" look that originally debuted in Windows 7. The effect, which adds a transparent background on the Start menu is already available in the latest Window 10 preview and Microsoft says it expects the final look will be "pretty close" to what's already out there.
Xbox live streaming
One of the new abilities of Windows 10 is the ability to stream games from an Xbox One on the same network. Microsoft says as long as your Wi-Fi is 802.11ac, there should be next to no latency, and checking out the feature on a Surface Pro 3, I'd say the claim is accurate.
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