What is Windows Blue

Introduction

Windows Blue is a code name for a major upgrade to Windows 8 that should offer new features and functionality. This is why it's been drawing large attention despite the fact that the highly anticipated Windows 8 has only been on the market for 4 months. But more realistically, it could be just equivalent to a service pack. In this case, it could be as simple as a Windows 8 Service Pack 1. At least at this very moment, Windows Blue is just the codename of something Microsoft has been secretly working on, and that could be changed during the release.

According to Win8China Windows Blue has just passed the Millstone 1 stage and is currently in the Milestone Preview stage with the kernel version updated to 6.3. The RTM version will be released around June or July and will be released publically in August 2013 for existing Windows 8 users to download or upgrade from Windows 8.

What is new in Windows Blue?

Microsoft Windows Blue will be released with the following new features.

Internet Explorer 11

Internet Explorer 11 will be part of Windows Blue. Microsoft's next version of Internet Explorer 11 shows evidence that the WebGL tech used for enabling accelerated 2D and 3D graphics will be deployed. WebGL, which is featured in IE's rivals Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Chrome, uses the hardware GPU to assist rendering without the need for additional plug-ins. It is useful for gaming, mapping, and other graphics-intense functions.

New Included Apps

Windows Blue should offer new built-in apps that could improve the experience. New Windows 8-style apps include an alarm, calculator, audio recorder, and a replacement for Windows Movie Maker that edits videos via touch.

Smaller Start Screen Tiles

As we know Windows 8 provides two types of tiles in which one is a large Square tile and the other one is Rectangle tile which is twice the size of a square tile in Windows Blue, much smaller tiles are offered which are a quarter the size of Windows 8's squares. This thing will help you if there are many tiles available in groups.

New Charms Bar Capability

Changes will also be seen in the Charm Bar as the Windows Blue Charm Bar will offer you more direct Customization than the Windows 8 Charms Bar. This Charm Bar will allow you to Swipe out the Background, edit the background color, and change accent colors directly from the sidebar of the operating system. One more change might be there which is the improved search capability of Charm Bar.

SkyDrive Syncing

Windows Blue might Improve one of the earlier defaults which was syncing the way the Desktop and Windows 7 versions do.

More Snapping option

Windows Blue has one fantastic feature included in it i.e. Viewing more than two Secondary apps at a time on the screen. Windows 8 provides you the feature of Snapping in which secondary apps are shown in a quarter of the screen along with the main app but in Windows Blue, this Secondary app can be displayed on the exact half of the screen, or even four apps can be displayed in Vertical quarters.

The Start Menu will be returned

With the release of Windows 8, the biggest complaints were the lack of the traditional Start Menu and Windows booting directly to the Windows Start Screen instead of the Desktop. But perhaps with Windows Blue, it will be possible to offer options that can enable booting directly to the Windows 8 Desktop and the ability to bring back the Windows Start Menu.

Summary

In this article, we learned about Windows Blue.