8 awesome features about the new Microsoft Windows 11

Tech giant, Microsoft, officially unveiled Windows 11, ushering in the next generation of Windows. It had been taunting the Internet for some time now and it finally revealed the new platform on Thursday, 24^th of June

The new Windows 11 has arrived with new exciting features and we would like to tell you about eight of the new features you should be aware of.

1. New design and Start menu at the centre.

The Windows 11 comes with a new design and the Start menu has been moved to the bottom centre of the screen. Hitherto, the start button was at the bottom left corner of the taskbar. Microsoft says it moved it to the centre to “make it easier to quickly find what you need” Start utilizes the power of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to show you your recent files no matter what platform or device you were viewing them on earlier, even if it was on an Android or iOS device.

2. Introducing Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops

Microsoft is introducing Snap Layouts, Snap Groups and Desktops with the new Windows 11. The intention is to offer flexibility of multiple windows and the ability to snap apps side by side. This provides an even more powerful way to multitask and they are designed to help you organize your windows and optimize your screen real estate so you can see what you need just the way you want in a layout that’s visually clean.

3. Chat from Microsoft Teams integrated in the taskbar

The new taskbar in Windows 11 offers Chat from Microsoft Teams thereby keeping you closer to your friends and loved ones. With this feature, Microsoft is putting Microsoft Teams in your face to break the dominance of other video calling platforms.  Now you can instantly connect through text, chat, voice or video with all of your personal contacts, anywhere, no matter the platform or device they’re on, across Windows, Android or iOS. If the person you’re connecting to on the other end hasn’t downloaded the Teams app, you can still connect with them via two-way SMS.

4. Unlocking new gaming technology for your PC

The new Windows 11 unlocks the full potential of your system’s hardware, putting some of the latest gaming technology to work for you. Here are some of the latest technologies at your disposal.

• DirectX 12 Ultimate, which can enable breath-taking, immersive graphics at high frame rates;
• DirectStorage for faster load times and more detailed game worlds; and
• Auto HDR for a wider, more vivid range of colors for a truly captivating visual experience.

5. A better way to make personalized information available to you with Widgets

Windows 11 brings you closer to the news and information you care about faster with Widgets – a new personalized feed powered by AI and best-in-class browser performance from Microsoft Edge

Now, you can open a similarly curated view directly from your desktop. When you open your personalized feed it slides across your screen like a sheet of glass so it doesn’t disrupt what you’re doing. For creators and publishers, Widgets also opens new real estate within Windows to deliver personalized content.

6. Bringing Android apps to Windows 

With the new Windows 11, Microsoft is bringing Android apps to Windows for the first time. Starting later this year, people will be able to discover Android apps in the Microsoft Store and download them through the Amazon Appstore – imagine recording and posting a video from TikTok or using Khan Academy Kids for virtual learning right from your PC. This has been made possible by the partnership with Amazon and Intel using their Intel Bridge technology

7. Unlocking new opportunities for developers and creators

Microsoft has opened up the Microsoft Store to unlock greater economic opportunity for creators and developers. It has enabled developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) to bring their apps regardless of whether they’re built as a Win32, Progressive Web App (PWA), or Universal Windows App (UWP) or any other app framework, to the platform.  App developers can now bring their own commerce into the Microsoft Store and keep 100% of the revenue. However if they decide to use Microsoft’s commerce, they get 85% share of the revenue.

8. Upgrade to Windows 11 is Free

The new Windows 11 is available through a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs and on new PCs beginning this summer. The free upgrade will begin to roll out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and continuing into 2022. To check if your current Windows 10 PC is eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 11, visit Windows.com to download the PC Health Check app.