Visit our other websites:    Consumer IT    On CE    Mobile Channels    ECI news    rAVe Europe    Digital Signage News    

 

eSP - IT Solution Providers in Europe

  • Full Screen
  • Wide Screen
  • Narrow Screen
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size

Microsoft Details Windows 10 and… Holographic Glasses?

E-mail Print PDF

As predicted, the previously announced 21 January Microsoft event was all about the latest version of its OS, Windows 10-- but the company also took time to announce the HoloLens, a scifi-style augmented reality (AR) visor.

Windows 10The first surprise announcement at the event involves Windows 10 pricing. Or rather, the lack thereof. For the first year following release Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 owners can upgrade to 10 for free. Microsoft calls it "Windows as a Service," and it will be available for both consumer and (surely more crucial for the company) enterprise customers.

"[I]n fact, one could reasonably think of Windows in the next couple of years as one of the largest Internet services on the planet," Microsoft says.

The OS is not limited to PCs-- Windows 10 also scales to smartphones and tablets, since a "Continuum" feature allows users to seamlessly switch between touchscreen and mouse/keyboard input, a feature clearly tailored for 2-in-1/hybrid devices. It also has universal apps, with OneDrive handling storage between near-identical PC and mobile versions of Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, People & Messaging, Mail & Calendar and the all important Office suite.

Further Windows 10 announcements include a desktop version of the Siri-style Cortana assistant, an Internet Explorer replacement dubbed "Project Spartan" and an Xbox app allowing customers to stream games from consoles to PCs.

HololensHowever the most the unlikely announcement is surely Hololens, the Microsoft foray into AR. Essentially a sensor-equipped see-through visor, the HoloLens is described as nothing less than "the world's first untethered holographic computer." It runs on Windows 10 via "holographic processing unit," needs no connection to PCs or smartphones, and, as seen in a Microsoft video, overlays virtual visuals, such as drawings, 3D models or even game graphics, over the real world.

"By putting you at the center of the Windows 10 computing experience, Microsoft HoloLens allows you to create, access information, enjoy entertainment, and communicate in new and exciting ways," the company adds.

The final Microsoft reveal is perhaps more aimed at the company's core enterprise customers-- a giant tablet dubbed Surface Hub. Available in either 55- or 84-inch sizes, the Surface Hub features cameras, speakers, mics, Bluetooth, NFC and a stylus-based touchscreen UI, is designed to be the ultimate interactive whiteboard replacement.

Watch Windows 10: A New Generation of Windows

Go The Next Generation of Windows: Windows 10