Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 update for existing Windows 8 users earlier this week. The update is not an entirely new operating system but it's a user-friendly update that takes some of the more unpopular features form the original os release and improves upon them.
Below is a list of the top ten exciting new features to check out after you get the Windows 8.1 update, courtesy of Mashable.
1) Less Storage Taken Up: Although Windows 8.1 comes with a bevy of new features, it somehow manages to take up less space than Windows 8. According to Microsoft, upgrading to the new system will win you back 8-15 percent of the storage on your device.
2) Better Search Functions: Windows 8 proved to be a huge improvement on the way people search their computers. Now 8.1 takes things to a new level with Smart Search. With this feature, you can search a subject like The Lincoln Memorial and, with the help of Bing, the software will create a visually driven page that will call up basic facts, photos and a map as well as links to relevant sources creating a "buffet of information" as Mashable puts it.
3) Improved Multitasking: The Snap feature was a great idea, but in Windows 8 it could only be used to resize two windows of the same size. Snap is now able to resize a window to fit any size and space with just a swipe of the finger. This makes the desktop feel less like an interface and more like a workspace.
4) Live Tiles Are Better: Microsoft's redesign to include the Live Tiles system. Many complained that it was too well geared for tablets to be an effective desktop organizer for PCs. The company is sticking to its guns and, rather than doing away with the tiles is simply making them more customizable. They can be resized into two new shapes. A biggie size that's the same as four regular squares and a small square that's a fourth of the size of a regular tile.
5) Automatic App Updates: There's nothing more annoying than downloading an exciting new application and then realizing that it plans on barking at you to update something like twice a week. Windows 8.1 cuts out the middle man and will automatically update al of your apps and stop forcing you to make unscheduled stops to the Windows Store.
6) Start Screen Desktop Background: This may seem trivial but, as Mashable points out, keeping the background constant will make users look at the unpopular UI extensions as parts of the same interface rather than a foreign page.
7) Dynamic Lock Screen: The lock screen on Windows 8.1 devices don't have to be a static image anymore. Now users will have the option to play a slideshow that can pull photos from several different locations and folders including whatever you've got in your SkyDrive. In addition, calendar alerts, e-mail notifications and Skype calls can be taken without unlocking the device.
8) Improved Multi-Monitor Support: External monitors are a big deal to those who use them. Large display monitors are expensive, for some it is more cost effective to simply hook up multiple displays and expand their workspace that way. Windows 8.1 users will have more control over how content renders on secondary displays.
9) SkyDrive Integration: Cloud storage is rapidly becoming a staple in the modern computing world. As a result Windows 8.1 allows you to make SkyDrive the default place to store all things that require saving like documents and photos. It will feel exactly like storing things locally except they'll be available wherever you are.
10) The Facebook App: If you upgrade to Windows 8.1 you'll be able to run the official Facebook app for Windows, which provides a native experience for all PCs.
A more complete rundown of all of these features can be found HERE via Mashable.
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