With mere days remaining in the official launch of the operating system, one would think that pretty much all of the important features of the new OS would have been out in the open.
And that is without even bringing the leaks and officially released RTM versions into the mix.
But such is the dynamic nature of Microsoft’s modern operating platform that the company promised to bring some new features in before Windows 8.1 reached general availability. And now we have some details on what is in store.
The Verge is reporting that Redmond is primarily focusing on improving the built in Bing apps — apps like Food and Drink, Finance, Travel and Sports, among others.
For starters, the Food and Drink tool is now expected to get more than 100,000 recipes, complete with guides and videos. Bing Finance, on the other hand, will now allow connecting to a portfolio and the ability for users to make trades right from within the app.
Updates are also in line for the Bing Travel app that will get content from Trevor and Michelin. Real time live stats and 20 additional international leagues are coming to Bing Sports.
Along with these updates, Microsoft is working on a new feature that goes by the name of Photo Loop.
Quite similar to the Time Shift option included in BlackBerry 10, this aforementioned feature provides the same functionality — basically allowing users to capture photos in burst mode and then choose the one they like the most, thereby ensuring no one is caught blinking in the snap.
Now you may be wondering that sure, this is one handy feature, but it will probably require advanced camera hardware. And you would be right.
We will have to wait for official details on these, but since this feature is aimed squarely at tablet users, there is a fair chance that the cameras in the second generation Surface tablets already support Photo Loop. Other manufacturers will probably add support for this soon.
Anyway, Microsoft has not exactly commented on these new features, for now, but official details probably are not too far off. The same can be said for these new options.
Word is that they are on track for availability on October 18, the launch day of the upcoming OS.
All Comments
I’ve always been an early adopter, and for me this is exciting news. It’s like Christmas morning all over again. 🙂
I love that they are concentrating on the Bing apps. I think that they are already pretty solid, and being able to trade from within Finance and connect your portfolio will be amazing. Not many other apps have done that well so far. I am especially looking forward to the Food & Drink app… 100,000 recipes! That is amazing.
I like what they’re doing