wins10Microsoft Corp. just announced the availability of Windows 10 as a free upgrade or with new PCs and tablets, which includes innovations such as Cortana, an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge for a familiar, yet more personal and productive, experience.

According to Microsoft, it is the most secure Windows ever, delivered as a service and kept automatically up-to-date with innovations and security updates. Windows 10 offers one experience that will become available on the broadest range of devices, including PCs, tablets, phones, Raspberry Pi, Xbox One, HoloLens and more — with more than 2,000 devices or configurations already in testing.

"A new era of Windows starts today. From the beginning, Windows 10 has been unique — built with feedback from over 5 million fans, delivered as a service and offered as a free upgrade," said Terry Myerson , executive vice president, Windows and Devices Group, at Microsoft. "Windows 10 delivers on our more personal computing vision, with a natural, mobile and trusted experience. Along with our partners, we're excited to deliver the best Windows ever, which will empower people and organizations around the world to do great things."

As said, Windows 10 is the most secure Windows Microsoft has ever released, with enhancements to Windows Defender and SmartScreen to help safeguard against viruses, malware and phishing and innovations such as Windows Hello, which offers a fast, secured, password-free way to log in.

Keeping up-to-date is also simple, as free updates will help people stay current with the latest features and security updates for the supported lifetime of the device.

Besides that, Windows 10 is more personal and productive, with voice, pen and gesture inputs for natural interaction with PCs. It's designed to work with Office and Skype and allows you to switch between apps and stay organized with Snap and Task View. Windows 10 offers many innovative experiences and devices, including the following:

• Cortana, the personal digital assistant, makes it easy to find the right information at the right time.
• New Microsoft Edge browser lets people quickly browse, read, and mark up and share the Web.
• The integrated Xbox app delivers the Xbox experience to Windows 10, bringing together friends, games and accomplishments across Xbox One and Windows 10 devices.
• Continuum optimizes apps and experiences beautifully across touch and desktop modes.
• Built-in apps including Photos; Maps; Microsoft's new music app, Groove; and Movies & TV offer entertainment and productivity options. With OneDrive, files can be easily shared and kept up-to-date across all devices.
• A Microsoft Phone Companion app enables iPhones, Android or Windows phones to work seamlessly with Windows 10 devices.
• The all new Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 tablets are available today in the Windows Store. Built for work on-the-go, the Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps offer a consistent, touch-first experience for small tablets. For digital note-taking needs, the full-featured OneNote app comes pre-installed with Windows 10. The upcoming release of the Office desktop apps (Office 2016) will offer the richest feature set for professional content creation. Designed for the precision of a keyboard and mouse, these apps will be optimized for large-screen PCs, laptops and 2-in-1 devices such as the Surface Pro.

Feedback from millions of IT pros has shaped Windows 10 and made it the most extensively tested version of Windows ever. Ready for corporate deployments, Windows 10 will help companies protect against modern cyberattacks, deliver experiences their employees will love and enable continuous innovation with a platform that keeps companies up-to-date with the latest technology. Businesses will be able to control the frequency of their updates and select the features and functionality that are right for each group of their employees.

Windows 10 includes built-in, enterprise-grade security, so customers can replace passwords with more secure options, protect corporate data and corporate identities, and run only the software they trust. New management and deployment tools simplify device management, help lower costs, and enable companies to power their business with the enterprise strength of the Microsoft Azure cloud.

It is noteworthy that the new Windows Store offers one-stop shopping for popular free and paid apps, games, movies, TV shows and the latest music, which can work across all Windows 10 devices. In fact, it is the only store where people can use Cortana to control apps with their voice 5 and get real-time notifications on their app tiles. All Windows Store content is certified by Microsoft to help keep devices safer.

In addition to existing Windows 8.1 apps such as Netflix, Flipboard, Mint.com, "Asphalt 8: Airborne" and The Weather Channel, the Windows Store provides a constant stream of new and updated Universal Windows Apps and games, including Twitter, "Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta," Hulu, iHeartRadio, USA TODAY, "Candy Crush Saga" and others including WeChat and QQ, which will launch soon.

Upgrading to Windows 10 is easy for customers running a genuine Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 PC or tablet. All who reserved their upgrade to Windows 10 will be notified in waves when their upgrade is ready to be installed. For business customers, Windows 10 is available to start deploying within their work environments and organizations that have volume licensing can upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education from August 1 onwards. Microsoft has also worked closely with retailers from around the world to introduce programs to help people easily upgrade.

Information on upgrading, new and compatible devices, and apps for Windows can be found at http://www.windows.com. Furthermore, Microsoft encourages people to share how they plan to #UpgradeYourWorld and to vote for a global nonprofit to receive a cash donation by simply mentioning the nonprofit in a post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and using the hashtags #UpgradeYourWorld and #vote. More information on Upgrade Your World can be found at http://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld.

By MediaBUZZ