Confirmed: Windows Blue Will Be Free, to Be Called 8.1

10 less talked about 8.1 features.
Although several have been talked about here.
8.1 realy does look like a huge update, can't wait to get the preview running.

NFC Tap-To-Pair Printing
Whatever happened to the Near-Field Communication (NFC) revolution? Promising a cashless society where we'd pay for just about everything will a tap (or swipe) of our NFC-enabled mobile gadgets, the dream is just that. And that's despite the fact that companies increasingly see mobile commerce as an important component of their business strategies.
Of course, NFC offers a lot more than a new way to buy Frappuccinos at Starbucks. Windows 8.1 will showcase one intriguing NFC feature: tap-to-pair printing. Rather than trying to locate the correct printer on your work network, you'll simply tap a Windows 8.1 device against an NFC-ready enterprise printer and start printing, says Microsoft.
To enable this feature, you'll need to attach an NFC tag to your existing printers. Who knows, maybe printing will prove to be NFC's killer -- if kinda boring -- app.
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Native Miracast Wireless Display
Here's another wireless technology with a strong consumer slant. Miracast lets you stream video via Wi-Fi Direct from one device to another (e.g., from smartphone to HDTV). It means fewer wires and (theoretically) fewer hassles, and promises usability advantages over those messy HDMI and DisplayPort cables.
Obviously, Miracast has business uses too, such as sharing a laptop screen with a conference-room projector. You could pair two Miracast-enabled work devices and stream to your heart's content. Ideally, Windows 8.1's Miracast support would make life easier for Microsoft shops.
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Broadband Tethering
Here's a great idea that's long overdue, particularly for enterprises with cellular-equipped laptops. Windows 8.1 will support broadband tethering, which turns a PC or tablet into a Wi-Fi hotspot. The feature has potential cost savings for remote users, as a single Windows 8.1 laptop with a cellular connection could provide Internet access for multiple devices. Sure, smartphones have had hotspot capabilities for a while now, but it's good that Windows 8.1 will offer another wireless tethering option.
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Fingerprint-Based Biometrics
Biometric devices have been around for years, but many haven't delivered ironclad security. Many fingerprint readers, for instance, could be fooled by fake fingerprints, including those lifted via the infamous Gummy Bear hack. The technology's improving, however, and today's fingerprint readers use liveliness detection to check temperature, pulse, blood pressure, pores, perspiration and other traits of a living, breathing human. (So that gruesome, chopping-off-the-finger trick popular in movies probably won't work.)
What's this got to do with Windows 8.1? Well, the new OS will have improved biometric capabilities, including a common fingerprint login for different kinds of readers, including newer touch-based and older swipe-based models. You also can enable biometric authentication at various entry points, including Windows sign-in, remote access and User Access Control.
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Auto-Triggered VPN
If you're sharing sensitive business communications via a public network, a virtual private network (VPN) is essential. Windows 8.1 and Windows RT will add support for a wider range of VPN clients, and apps will be able to launch VPN connections automatically. In addition, Windows will prompt you to sign in when you choose an app or resource that needs VPN access. Certainly, auto-triggered VPN is a nice addition. But will it boost the business appeal of Windows RT, which hasn't generated much interest from corporations, consumers or even Microsoft's OEMs?
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Wi-Fi Direct Printing
Wi-Fi Direct allows two devices to connect without having to join a conventional office, hotspot or home wireless network. With new support for Wi-Fi Direct printing, Windows 8.1 devices can connect to Wi-Fi Direct printers and form a peer-to-peer network without adding additional drivers or software, says Microsoft. Given the large number of Wi-Fi Direct-certified printers out there, this seemingly ho-hum feature may prove useful.
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Nobler Defender
Windows 8.1 promises tighter security for enterprise users. Its Windows Defender antivirus software will monitor network behavior to seek and stop malware. And the included Internet Explorer 11 will use Windows 8.1's anti-malware solution to scan ActiveX and other binary extensions. All editions of Windows will add device encryption (enabled by default) that was limited previously to Windows RT and Windows Phone 8. Users of Windows 8.1 Pro and Enterprise versions can also add BitLocker protection and other management capabilities. Another plus: Windows 8.1 consumer devices, when using a Microsoft account, are automatically encrypted and protected, says Microsoft.
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Remote Removal Of Business Data
Here's a nice one for the BYOD era: Windows 8.1 makes it easier for companies to mark which content on a user's device is theirs, and then wipe the data -- without touching any personal content -- when their business relationship with the user ends. An enterprise can identify corporate data, encrypt it and later wipe it using the Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) or EAS + OMA-DM protocol.
This feature must be implemented in both the client and server application (Mail + Exchange Server). The client app decides whether to delete the corporate data or simply make it inaccessible. For Microsoft, this remote removal tool is a smart play that may boost today's weak demand for Windows-based tablets in the enterprise.
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Assigned Access For Windows Store Apps
The new Assigned Access feature lets you run a single Windows Store application -- and nothing else -- on a Windows device. Schools may find this useful for running a single app (e.g., an exam) while denying students access to the Web browser and other tempting time-wasters. Similarly, a retail shop could use Assigned Access to run a customer service app. Windows Embedded 8.1 adds lockdown tools for industrial uses, including point-of-sale kiosks, ATMs and digital signs.
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BYOD
In addition to Miracast support, and NFC tap-to-pair and Wi-Fi Direct printing, Windows 8.1 adds other management tools that make sense in a bring-your-own device (BYOD) workplace. Workplace Join, for instance, allows users to work on their favorite devices and still access corporate resources. The Work Folders feature enables syncing from a user's folder in the enterprise data center to his or her device. And administrators can use an OMA-DM API agent to manage Windows 8.1 devices via mobile device management tools. These are just a few of the changes that make may boost Windows 8.1's appeal to Microsoft's huge corporate base.
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Glaucus said:
And it's growing a darn sight faster than iOS or play.
Apps do not come instantly and off course there's a divide, windows phone has been out ages and has what 200,000 apps now(apparently 145k, but then last year they hit 150k, think people are using different measuring sticks). Even though they share a lot of the same code, it still requires a reprogramming.
Something windows Blue was rumoured to make even easier and share even more code, was even talk of merging WP and win stores, but I can't see that happening in this update as its gone quite on that front.

And don't talk to me about VLC, they are a bunch of ******* and gone down in my estimation. Not even an update in months from them.
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One of the problems VLC have encountered is limitations in Windows RT.
They're having to redesign a lot of stuff, there are some blog posts about it from them.

This is also true for PS1 emulators, if you look at Android it's got a few, but Windows RT has limitations/restrictions which don't allow for such a program to run.
 
I have a windows 8 install disk sitting at home, is it worth the install? When I played with the release client I liked it....except how you close applications, drag down is so slow and annoying! I miss the easy "X" to close....Any chance they will bring it back in 8.1?
 
DiCe! said:
I have a windows 8 install disk sitting at home, is it worth the install? When I played with the release client I liked it....except how you close applications, drag down is so slow and annoying! I miss the easy "X" to close....Any chance they will bring it back in 8.1?
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Desktop applications are exactly the same as they have always been. It's only the metro apps that have changed. I can't see them bringing back the "X" for metro apps to be honest.
 
Glaucus said:
Can't wait to throw this on the lappy.
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Me neither!

It has worked out well for me also, as I am actually planning to carry out a BIOS update plus a full Windows 8 installation on Friday week (28th) anyway, so I can incorporate Windows 8.1 at the same time! :)
 
just installed Win 8 (from 7) jesus I have no idea what everyone is crying about seriously. Yes its different but man its not that bad once you get used to it (all of 10 mins)
 
iamtheoneneo said:
just installed Win 8 (from 7) jesus I have no idea what everyone is crying about seriously. Yes its different but man its not that bad once you get used to it (all of 10 mins)
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This. Took me a little while to get used to it on my main PC, and wimped out and installed Classic Shell to get the start button back. However, I've since upgraded to Win 8 on my two HTPCs and left out Classic Shell and think it's great. It's a lot easier once you know some of the keyboard shortcuts.
 
I imagine this has already been posted here, but just incase it hasn't this is a really useful link:

http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/...ng-the-windows-8-vision-with-windows-8-1.aspx

Explains a lot of the changes they are making in 8.1. I especially like the look of this:

Better Mouse and Keyboard Options

PCs today are evolving for a world of mobile computing where people interact with their devices through touch, and we designed Windows 8 for this. But we also recognize there are many non-touch devices in use today – especially in the commercial setting. As such we’ve focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard.

We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start “tip” to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop. There are also options to change what the corners do, and options to boot into alternate screens. For example, if you prefer to see the Apps view versus all the tiles, you can choose to have the Start screen go directly to Apps view.
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No it's not the Start Menu back again (which I would like), but the changes it lists may make 8.1. a much more viable option for us Keyboard and Mouse folk. Also the last part indicates that you might be able to set it to boot to desktop by default, definately an improvement over Windows 8 where you have to use a 3rd party app to make this possible.
 
so if you install the preview, your only option afterwards is to re-install the complete OS and then install the full version of 8.1 ? or am I reading the blurb wrong ?
 
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