Windows 10 news recap: Reasons to upgrade, RTM is dead, and lots of promo videos

Microsoft started off the week with the introduction of a new video series, touting “familiar things” with the best of Windows 7 and the best of Windows 8, creating an all new awesome experience that is Windows 10. Microsoft also showcased several new TV advertisements for Windows 10, featuring babies! 

The advertisements have a great polished look with cute kids and are able to talk about multiple features of Windows 10 in plain English, without even mentioning the names of the features like Windows Hello, Cortana and Microsoft Edge. Instead, it is a very much more human and personal way to tell the story of how Windows 10 can simply be “a more human way to do.” You can watch the videos below, in case you missed them.

This past week, Microsoft revealed that Cortana would be made available in the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain on July 29th, alongside Windows 10’s official release. Following this, over the next few months, Windows Insiders in Japan and Australia will receive the service, and in English to users in Canada and India. Later in the year, the service will be expanded to Brazil and Mexico, and eventually to French speakers in Canada. Microsoft also rolled out a promo video hyping Cortana as a big reason to upgrade to Windows 10. You can watch that video below.

Must Read: Microsoft says Windows 10 is the ‘best combination of the Windows you already know’

Microsoft has launched a new promotional tool to hype the launch of Windows 10. Gabe Aul, the General Manager for Microsoft’s OSG Data and Fundamentals team, posted on Twitter his new profile picture with his “Do Windows 10” badge and link for you to create your own. Microsoft also released new wallpapers as a small token of appreciation — and these wallpapers feature ninjacat! 

For those wondering, many new features and some old favorites arrive with Windows 10 but there are some things that are being removed. Two such features are the ability to sync Start Screen layouts and installed apps across devices.

Throughout the week, Microsoft continued its countdown to the release of Windows 10 with yet another video in its “10 Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 10” series. This particular momentum building video is featuring the all new browser in Windows 10, Microsoft Edge. You can watch that video below.

We learned this past week that Minecraft Windows 10 Edition will launch through the Windows Store on the 29th of July, alongside the release of Windows 10, as well as with Achievements. What Achievements will be made available is not yet possible to tell, however it is likely that they will involve the soon-to-be-introduced main quest, along with kill counts and resource collection among other things.

Microsoft rolled out yet another video showcasing how one can do “multiple things” at once in Windows 10. You can watch this video below.

Windows Insiders, if for some reason you are not running the latest Windows 10 build (10240), Microsoft will be imposing limitations on you. In an announcement, Microsoft revealed that access to the Windows Store will be revoked from anyone running an older Insider Preview of Windows 10. This is done to ensure that users take advantage of all the latest bug fixes and performance improvements, offering a more reliable user experience. More on that here.

Microsoft released yet another video to showcase the security benefits of Windows 10. As Windows Insiders will already know, Windows 10 brings with it several improved security features, including Windows Hello, SmartScreen, Windows Defender, Family features, and more. You can watch the video below.

One particular feature in Windows 10 is called Windows Hello, which allows consumers to seamlessly and securely log into their PCs. Windows Hello supports three types of biometric entry, which includes fingerprint recognition, iris, and facial recognition. In a new video, Microsoft is touting Windows Hello as a feature that adds a more personal experience to Windows 10 — in fact, with Windows Hello, you are the password! Watch the video below.

Gaming was another topic Microsoft touched on in regards to Windows 10. “Find out why gaming is at its best on Windows 10 with Xbox. From streaming Xbox One games to a PC or tablet, to the biggest franchises and the largest online gaming community, you’ll find many reasons to game with Windows 10.”

Microsoft also rolled out several security updates this past week, as well as a new graphics driver for those of you running Windows 10 on a Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3. Speaking of performance, both Microsoft and Intel are working together to kill some battery life bugs before the launch of Windows 10.

Don’t Miss: How to help Cortana hear you loud and clear in Windows 10; How to change the default Microsoft Edge search engine in Windows 10

Big Story of the week

Windows 10: RTM is dead (sorta) — Long live Windows as a Service, by Zac Bowden.

“Ever since news broke of Windows 10 reaching the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) milestone of development, my inbox has been full of people claiming that I’m wrong about build 10240 (the build released to Insiders) being the official Windows 10 RTM. Build 10240 is the RTM, but not in the traditional sense.” Read more about this story here.

Stay tuned for yet another exciting week of Windows 10 news. Windows 10 is set for release in just a few days!