Why you need Windows 10

You’ve probably heard the fuss surrounding the new Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade, which is being dubbed one of the best operating systems going at the moment. Considering how much of a failure Windows 8 was, that’s not exactly hard.

If you were ahead of the game at the end of July, you might even have downloaded it already and we’re sure you’re loving all the tweaks and changes. But if you haven’t heard all the fuss or downloaded the upgrade yet — here are some practical reasons you should be getting involved (without boring you with hyper-technical explanations as to why it’s so good), courtesy of the Shortlist.com:

* Cortana — She’s made a home for herself on Windows phones, but now the virtual personal assistant is making her way to desktops and tablets. Cortana will look over your shoulder at how you use Windows 10, linking up with the web browser Edge (see below), calendar and mail to give you useful information. She’s basically a search tool with new tricks.

* Edge — At last, Internet Explorer has died. The cumbersome behemoth of an internet browser was plagued with issues towards the end, and thankfully Microsoft took notice and did something about it. Some of the tricks of the new ‘Edge’ browser? Bing will jump in with suggestions as you type, just like Chrome, and it can save pages for reading later as well as mute “distractions” on a page to let you focus on reading and Notes, which allows you to draw and write directly onto a page. Plus it’s fast — really fast.

* Security — Hooray! No more McAfee slowing your computer down, messages pinging up and an impending fear that your computer is one email away from the infection that will finally kill it. Windows 10 has a raft of new security features – from Passport, which will authenticate any app you’re looking to open (and prevent malicious apps from downloading), to Hello, which will allow you and only you to open your device with a variety of biometric options – from facial recognition to finger prints

* Start — An easy one to pick out, but the new interface of Windows 10 is a lot better than that of 8 mainly bedcause it’s like the old interface. Microsoft has learnt from its attempt to push users toward a touchy-feely tablet interface with Windows 8 and 8.1 – a confusing half-way-house that wasn’t quite right on a normal desktop computer (unless you had a touch screen) and didn’t feel all that natural on a tablet.

Another brilliant addition will be the HoloLens (set to arrive in 2016) – powered by a computer running Windows 10, the HoloLens will allow you to interact with programmes by swiping your hands across the screen like Tom Cruise in Minority Report. Useful? We’re not sure yet. Cool? Without a shadow of doubt.

Read the Shortlist.com’s full guide to Windows 10 at bit.ly/1hNO8yo