Windows 10: New touch, USB Type C and the Internet of Things
Yesterday we had some news about Windows 10. Hardware requirements, the start in the summer and the upgrade for non-legal versions of Windows in China. But that was not all that was known at the Windows Hardware Engineering Community Summit in Shenzhen about Windows 10. There are also new touch for touchpads and touch screens, support for USB Type C and dual role as well as a Windows 10 for the Internet of things.
Windows 10 will include some new features that require appropriate hardware. This was already recognized by Windows Hello, the biometric logon process that will come with Windows 10. The "edge" gestures are eliminated when operated via TouchPads. These are replaced by multi-finger gestures. A tap with one, two, three, or four fingers then triggers actions, the same applies to multi-finger movements on the touchpad.
Microsoft is also re-setting the gestures for touchscreens. Windows 10 will occupy all four sides of a touchscreen with functions. Swiped the user from one of these four pages via the display, a corresponding action is executed. From the left there is the task view, from the right the Action Center, from above multi-tasking and from below the taskbar.
A great novelty will also be the Continuum feature in Windows 10. It provides a customized interface, depending on how a device is used. Tablets are given a surface optimized for touch, and desktops are logically optimized for this operation. Tablets connected to external monitors can then automatically switch to desktop mode. For Detachables or 2-in-1 devices, this feature is very useful because you can use these devices in different ways and thus always have the right user interface available.
You can find the whole presentation on gestures, touchscreens and continuum here.
Windows 10 will also support USB Type C, the new USB standard, which is much more flexible than previous USB variants. Windows 10 also supports dual role scenarios and error handling. The latter helps the user to identify errors better because the system issues the error directly. In terms of USB Type C, Windows 10 will also support alternate mode. If USB c is used, for example to transmit video signals as DisplayPort, it is also treated as if a DisplayPort is connected. However, this alternate mode must be set in the hardware/firmware.
You can find the full presentation of USB Type C and dual role here, but this is more interesting for hardware manufacturers, as the various scenarios are explained in detail.
The Internet of things, the networked home, a big topic that is slowly getting in the swing. and continue with Windows 10. From small gateway to large industrial robot, Windows 10 will be ready for the internet of things. Windows 10 IoT provides a common platform and also for the appropriate security, a point which is often still neglected today. Microsoft is talking about enterprise-grade security when connecting devices to the cloud or devices.
Microsoft has partnered with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Intel and Qualcomm. In this way, various developer boards are made available. Windows 10 IoT will be available free of charge and also be available in the summer, as Microsoft is sharing here.