All the New Stuff in Windows 8.1

Microsoft showed off an in-depth look at Windows 8.1 today, and released a preview for everyone to try out. Here are all the new features you'll find in the next version of Windows.

We've seen most of these features in Microsoft's "first look" video (embedded above), but today they gave us a closer look at all the new features in 8.1. Most of the new features are specific to Windows' tiled "Modern" interface, but there are one or two updates for desktop users as well. Here's what you'll see.

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The Start screen has a few improvements. You get two new tile sizes: one small square one and one large one, so you can configure the Start screen a bit more like Windows Phone 8. You can also select multiple tiles and put them into a named group, and swipe up gesture for the "All Apps" view. The All Apps view has a few new organization methods, too—you can view them by category, most used, and date installed, not just alphabetical.

The new Start screen has more colors to choose from, and you can even put your desktop wallpaper behind the Start screen as well. You can also turn the lock screen into a photo slideshow, sourced from your PC or SkyDrive. While you're on the lock screen, you can launch the camera or answer Skype calls without logging in.

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One of Windows 8's coolest features is the side-by-side window snapping, and Microsoft has made a big improvement to this feature: now you can resize those snapped windows however you want. Before, you could only have Windows split 50/50, or into thirds. Now, you can actually drag the slider to make each app take up as much or as little space as you want.

Furthermore, you can have more than two apps or windows on-screen at once—in fact, you can have up to four, as long as your monitor is big enough (Engadget reports that the Surface Pro is still limited to two). You can also move them between monitors, if you have more than one.

Windows 8.1 also comes with some handy improvements to the Windows Store and its built-in apps. The whole store has been given a facelift, and it will now automatically update your apps unless you're on a metered connection. Internet Explorer 11 now has unlimited tabs, the camera has a panorama feature, and the new Mail app will have a "sweep" feature that deletes multiple emails of the same type (e.g. newsletters). All apps are supposed to be faster, and push notifications are easier for developers to implement, so hopefully more apps will support them.

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Microsoft has also made a big update to search in 8.1 If you open the search charm, you'll see that all your search results are grouped into one place: no more switching between files, settings, apps, and the web. If you press enter, you'll be taken to a full-screen view of your search results. If Bing understands the person, place, or thing you've searched for, it'll load a full-screen app-like view called "Search Heroes," with intelligent results similar to Google's Knowledge Graph, that offers photos, videos, and relevant facts all in one unified interface.

Laslty, SkyDrive is even more integrated with Windows 8 now, automatically updating with new files in the background (like Dropbox) and staying in sync with all your other devices.

The desktop didn't get as much love as we would have liked, but there are two features desktop enthusiasts have been asking for: boot to desktop and a Start button.

Boot to desktop does exactly what it sounds like: You can tell Windows 8 to boot straight to the desktop instead of going to the Start screen first.

The Start button won't show you the Start menu from Windows 7; it just brings up the Start screen. It's minor, but nice if you're used to clicking that button in the bottom left-hand corner. As for us, we'll just stick with true Start menu apps like Start8.

They've also added the ability to shut down from the Win+X menu. Just press Win+X or right-click on the Start button and choose Shut Down from the menu. This is much faster than Windows 8's previous method of shutting down, which required you to open the charms menu. Again, if you use a Start menu replacement tool this won't affect you much, but it's nice that they've added it.

All in all, it's a good update if you're using Windows 8 on a touch-enabled device, but desktop users probably won't find anything too exciting in this update—after all, if you wanted the Start menu back, you probably have it already. If you want to try out some of the new features yourself, download the Windows 8.1 preview and take it for a spin.

Related Windows 8 has some pretty cool things going for it, but it's become incredibly controversial because of one major change: the Start menu is… Read…

Related Microsoft is showing off all the new features of Windows 8.1 today, but curious users can download the 8.1 Preview right now. Here's what you… Read…

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All the New Stuff in OS X 10.9 "Mavericks"

Today Apple announced OS X 10.9 with long-awaited features like Finder tabs and tags, along with a few new ones. Come check out all the cool new stuff in the next version of the Mac operating system.

SFinder Tabs
A long-time feature in alternate file browser Path Finder and plug-in TotalFinder, OS X 10.9 brings tabbed browsing to the OS X Finder. Since OS X 10.5, rumor sites and news outlets have speculated that Apple would added tabs. Now, they finally have.

Tags
Apple decide to add another feature we've seen in everything from web to desktop apps for years. Now you can add tags to documents, folders, and more in the Finder to easily find what you're looking for without the need to keep all relevant files in a specific folder. Instead, you can just browse by tag.

SMultiple Display Enhancements
Using multiple monitors with OS X became problematic with the introduction of version 10.7. Now taking an app full screen doesn't force other displays to have a useless gray background. You can put multiple full screen apps on multiple screens. While this feels more like a fix than a feature, OS X 10.9 allows you to use your Apple TV as another display. Not a bad deal if you've got a TV but no extra monitor for work.

Battery Life Improvements
We've only seen incremental improvements in battery technology, so Apple decided to make reduce CPU utilization in OS X 10.9 to drain less power. One technology called App Nap improves battery life by suspending CPU tasks that you don't need. For example, if you have a CPU-intensive web site running in Safari and you cover it with another window, OS X will suspend that task so it doesn't drain your battery when not needed. When you uncover the window, it'll resume. Apple added several other technologies behind the scenes that'll help developers save battery life through their apps.

Safari
OS X 10.9 adds a few new features and technologies to Safari. You'll get your bookmarks in a sidebar for easier access, better JavaScript performance, lower memory usage, and other speed improvements like smooth and fast scrolling.

SiCloud Keychain
Popular solutions like LastPass and Dashlane save your passwords and sync them amongst your many computers. Apple decided to get in on the fun with iCloud Keychain. It'll remember passwords for sites and other things (e.g. Wi-Fi), credit card numbers, and more. Everything syncs with iCloud, and Apple encrypts all the data to keep it safe.

Actionable and Synchronized Notifications
Now you can get notifications in OS X and actually do something with them. Instead of just clicking them to get to the app, you can reply to a message or answer a video call directly from the notification. You can also now update your apps in the background via the Software Update notification as well. iOS notifications will sync with OS X so you don't have to go between devices to see everything.

SCalendars, Maps, iBooks, and More
Calendars, Contacts, and other apps with user interfaces that imitated the real-world equivalent are now gone! Apple also added a new Maps application where you can look up directions and send them straight to your iPhone. When you unlock your iPhone, you get sent straight to navigation. Apple also created an iBooks application so you can read your iBooks on your Mac. The feature set seems on par with what you'll find on an iPad.

OS X 10.9 goes out to developers today, but everyone else will get a copy in the Fall.

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All the New Stuff in iOS 7

Today, Apple announced iOS 7 with a ton of new features, a complete overhaul to the interface, and plenty more. Here are all the new features.

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New User Interface
The biggest difference with iOS 7 is a brand new interface. From the lock screen to each of the apps, the entire system is overhauled. Apple has moved away from the ridiculed skeuomorphic design in favor of a simpler look. Calendar, messages, weather, mail, the notification center, and more have been overhauled with the new look.

Control Center
Control Center adds a quick-toggles bar to iOS so you can change brightness, add a flashlight, do not disturb, turn on airplane mode, and plenty more.

Multitasking
Multitasking now works for all apps. iOS tracks your app usage and decides when and how to give an app background cycles. So, if you're opening something like Facebook all the time, then Facebook is updated more often. Push notifications also trigger a background state in apps so that when you open the app it'll be updated. Switching between apps is also done with a new gesture and a swipe that shows the full app instead of just an icon.

Safari
Safari gets a new full-screen mode, as well as a new quick search feature. With a tap at the top of the screen you get instant access to a search field that looks both online and in page. The iCloud Keychain announced for Mavericks is also added into Safari. Tabs also get a new look with vertical scrolling, and the eight tab limit is removed.

AirDrop
Airdrop allows you to instantly share any file in an app that supports it. This can be done with any other iPhone user near you, or over messages, mail, or social networks. It's peer-to-peer WiFi, and works on the most recent devices.

Camera and Photos
The camera is overhauled to include video, a new square camera, panorama, widescreen camera, and also has new photo filters. The Photos app is also redone, and automatically organizes your photos into "Moments" based on where and when they were taken. Sharing is also expanded to include Mail, AirDrop, iCloud, Twitter, and Facebook. The iCloud photo sharing gets a new shared photos setting where you can create shared photo streams with friends where anyone can upload pictures and comment on pictures.

Siri
Siri now has a new voice, including both male and female voices in several languages. Siri also gets a little smarter and can now recognize commands like, "increase brightness," or "play last voicemail." Services like Wikipedia, Bing, and Twitter are integrated right into Siri.

iOS in the Car
iOS 7 adds support for various car models and their in-car displays. In supported devices, iOS will be able to display Maps, messages, and more.

The App Store
The App Store now has a few new discovery methods. You can search for apps based on age range, or by apps that popular based on your location. The App Store also now updates your apps automatically.

Music
The Music app also gets a visual overhaul. All your music from iCloud and your local library are integrated in one library. A new sideways interface is also added to flip through your albums.

iTunes Radio
iTunes Radio is integrated directly into the Music app. Like Pandora or Spotify Radio, iTunes Radio is essentially a streaming radio station that exists within the Music app. Everything you play is synced across your devices so you can easily track down songs you've heard. On top of iOS, it's built into iTunes and the AppleTV. The service is free with ads, or ad-free if you're an iTunes Match subscriber. You can find more info here.

Activation Lock
New to the Find My iPhone function is the ability to lock out thieves from your iOS device. If your phone is stolen you can set it so it can't be activated again without your iTunes password.

The iOS 7 beta is available to developers today, and will be launching publicly this fall for the iPhone 4 and above, iPad mini, and iPad 2 and above. You can check out interactive versions of all the new features on Apple's site right now.

Related iTunes Radio, coming in iOS 7, is Apple's new streaming radio and music discovery service. You'll be able to create new streaming radio… Read…

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Fluffy Stuff - two ingredient play-dough

What do you get when you mix shaving cream with corn starch?

You get fluffy stuff (a mold-able play-with-me dough) that could be used to make summer snowballs.

I don't know if I found a cheaper way to entertain a group of children ranging from seven to two for an hour.

Blogger mamas throughout the web rave about this stuff and I can see why! 
It was fun to make, super messy, fun to mold, fun to squish, fun to play with, and inexpensive.

Did I mention it was really messy?

Here's how we made our fluffy stuff: Dump two (2) 16-oz boxes of corn starch into a plastic container.  I used a plastic box that was about 12-inches wide by 18-inches long by about 4-inches deep.  It worked really well. Add an entire container of white foam shaving cream.  I got the one shown at the dollar store. Let the kids mix the corn starch as you add the shaving cream and be prepared with molds if desired.  My kids used the shaving cream lid as a mold an just made mountains, a race track, "snowballs" and just had an awesome time with all the good sensory play that comes out of making this concoction. It really is that easy.

You could also be prepared with a broom and a dust pan to clean up, as this stuff gets everywhere.
You can also save the fluffy stuff in a plastic zippered bag.

Some other notes (please see the photos):
As you can tell, I did this activity OUTSIDE.  Just a suggestion on my part. The kids played with the corn starch for a couple minutes before adding the shaving cream to see how it feels by itself. I needed help taking photos and spraying shaving cream into little hands as it is SO MESSY!  (That is not my hairy arm....) I've never had kids that put things in their mouth but if you have a little one that tends to do that make sure they understand that it is NOT EDIBLE. One blog post I read said that they used this "fluffy stuff" to have a summer snow ball fight.  We didn't do that this time but I may take a doubled batch of it this summer to a park to get messy and have fun before hosing off! I spent less that $4 on this activity.  The cornstarch was on sale for $0.88 each box.  In retrospect I should have bought ten (10) of them!

The mixture washes off in the bath.  I was able to save the dough for about two weeks in a plastic sealed bag, and my kids got another use of it before it ended up on the ground. 

I think the pictures of my dirty little ones say it all!
Let me know how it works out for you and have fun playing with them while they're little, as always! =)

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