Microsoft unveils Windows 10, along with HoloLens headset and Surface Hub

         Microsoft finally announced its Windows 10 operating system, a system build of which was previewed last year. Apart from showcasing the latest updates on the software front, Microsoft also unveiled a two hardwares – the Microsoft Surface Hub and the HoloLens, a holographic lens with its own untethered computing system.
Not all the features showcased with the Windows 10 platform will be available to Windows 10 testers immediately. The features will rollout gradually, over a period of three to five months.
In the over two-hour long press event, Microsoft made a lot of announcements. Here are the 10 things that you need to know about. But we will start off with the last announcement first, given it was the most exciting and innovative.
Windows Holographic with HoloLens headset

Microsoft HoloLens headset which comprises a CPU, GPU and an HPU

Although this announcement came towards the end of the presentation, it was, without any doubt completely worth it. The Windows Holographic is an augmented reality experience which uses a headset and makes use of holograms which interact with natural gestures such as pinch and zoom, touch, voice and so on.
In order to add weight to this concept, Microsoft also unveiled the first of its two hardware products – the Microsoft HoloLens headset. This is a completely untethered mini-computer of a lens. It basically looks like a futuristic goggle which has a CPU and a GPU and most importantly a HPU – a Holographic Processing Unit. There is a see-through visor to let you see what’s in front of you, there’s spatial sound to hear holograms behind you and a bunch of other sensors which will work in tandem.

A demo of the HoloLens headset being used with Holograms

Microsoft is willing to work with third-party hardware makers to let them work with Windows Holographics to develop interesting products. It invited companies such as Oculus and Motion Leap to create their own holograms.
There was no official date announced for the release of the HoloLens headset, but it was said that it would come out within the Windows 10 timeframe. Satya Nadella, who came towards the end of the event also stressed on the fact that there would be both consumer as well as enterprise versions of the HoloLens headset.
Unifying the Windows 10 platform
Gone are the days when Microsoft will have separate operating systems on multiple platforms. Windows 10 will start an era where your desktop, mobile phone, laptop, tablet, 2-in-1 will all run the same Windows 10 OS which will be optimised according to the platforms. This will not only help users who are invested in the Windows eco-system across devices, but also help developers develop apps that will run across platforms
Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users
Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s executive vice president of Operating Systems announced that all PCs and laptops running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 and all phones with Windows Phone 8.1 OS would be upgraded to the latest version of Windows 10 – for free in the first year after Windows 10 launches. The free upgrade path will surely give a lot of people incentives to upgrade.
Myerson did not announce any variants in the Windows 10 OS, so it looks like one single OS for now. Myerson also stressed on the fact that Microsoft wants to use Windows as a service and not just an operating system. There was no mention of what would happen after the first year of free upgrades.
Cortana for Windows

Cortana will be present on the desktop as well in Windows 10

Microsoft’s personal assistant Cortana will be bundled with Windows 10 and will be available across devices. Cortana’s search and reminder capabilities will come to the desktop as well. On the desktop, Cortana will be seen as a search box located beside the Start button. Joe Belfiore showcased a lot of demos with Cortana, in fact he had a proper conversation with the search assistant, where he also showcased Cortana’s ability to put search requests into context based on the user. Cortana now supports 7 languages and can speak in impersonations as well. You can also ask Cortana to  open apps on your desktop such as PowerPoint or Word. You can also dictate emails in Outlook using Cortana and send them by voice commands.
Full-screen Start menu, new Action centre and more
In terms of the user interface, there have been some improvements thanks to feedback from testers of the Windows Insider program. So the Start Menu can be taken full screen instead of the limited view we get with Windows 8.1. The Action Centre has quick buttons to switch Wi-fi and Bluetooth on or off. There is a new Notification Centre which is seen above the Action Centre and these will be synced across devices. The Control Panel and Settings menu have been merged into a single folder. Also when using a 2-in-1, when you go from a desktop mode to a tablet mode, you get a notification asking if you want to switch to tablet mode, thereby optimising the full screen for touch-based inputs.
Universal apps for PCs

Universal apps will work across all devices with Windows 10

Universal apps as the name implies apps which will have similar design and will work across devices such as PCs, laptop, mobile phones and tablets. Belfiore showcased an early version of Office for phones which will also work on under 8-inch tablets. Outlook will come with an in-built Word engine which provides the Office ribbon which allows multiple ways of formatting the word document. Calendar app will also be synced across devices and will sport a consistent design as well.
Photos App improvements
It seemed like Microsoft took a lot of inspiration from Google+ when designing this app. The all new Photo gallery app will also be a Universal app which will work in sync, across devices. All pictures taken on the devices, as well as photos on One Drive will be merged together and the app will automatically delete the duplicate files to reduce the clutter. The Photo app will automatically enhance your photographs by default, much like Google+. It will also create Photo Albums automatically based on date, location and the people in the photographs.
Project Spartan: The new browser on Windows 10

Project Spartan is the new browser with the Windows 10 OS which comes with some neat features

We have been hearing rumours of the Spartan browser. Finally Micrsoft unveiled its Project Spartan at the event, which is indeed a new browser which comes with Cortana built in with its contextual searching chops. So for instance, if you are searching for a restaurant, Cortana will throw in a map, menu and contact details of the place.
Belfiore demonstrated how one can annotate a webpage using a stylus or touch interface, click on any section of a webpage to type out a comment and then share this page with friends or co-workers. Also while the page shared will be frozen, the links inside them will be active.
Reading mode in Project Spartan will put articles in a layout that enhances reading by getting rid of all the unnecessary elements on a page. You also get a Reading List feature that syncs across all phones, allows you to save pages for reading later, even when offline. A feature which is quite identical to what’s seen on the Pocket app.
Xbox App on Windows 10 and ultimately Windows 10 in Xbox One

Xbox app will be seen on all Windows 10 devices

Xbox app will come bundled with all Windows 10 devices which will let you create your own avataar or log in using your Xbox avataar. A new feature will allows you to record 30 seconds of your gameplay which can be sent across to Xbox Live so that Xbox users can watch it as well.
The best feature though is that of cross-play. This lets you play with your friend (who is gaming on his Xbox One) using your Windows 10 PC. Microsoft also has plans to launch Windows 10 on the Xbox One platform. Wireless streaming your Xbox One games to Windows 10 PCs and tablets via your home Wi-fi network is also a feature that is being worked on.
Microsoft Surface Hub

Microsoft Surface Hub is an 84-inch 4K display meant for office use

This was the second hardware showcased today. Targetting the enterprise and business segment, the Microsoft Surface Hub is an 84-inch 4K display that runs Windows 10. It comes with dual cameras, multi-touchscreen display, huge speakers and support for multiple pens. The camera are depth-sensing cameras. The huge surface allows you to do collaborative work. Cameras can be used for having meetings, where the display can be used as a screen to showcase work to collaborate on which can later be shared with the participants of the meeting. There was no word out on its pricing.