An early leak of Windows Blue uncovered a lot of information on the new features and changes that Microsoft is working on for the next major upgrade of its operating system, Windows 8. Even though we already came across a handful of these new enhancements, new capabilities are still popping up. Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, the guys who wrote the Windows 8 Secrets book, dug up a few new features.
Apparently, Windows Blue will incorporate the ability sync user’s Start screen settings across PCs and tablets including: accent and background color, live tiles layout and sizes. Of course this syncing won’t happen magically, well… It will, but only if the user is signed-in with a Microsoft account.
Furthermore, Internet Explorer 11 will also be able to take advantage of this new capability by syncing open tabs and the new Tracking Protection settings to the mighty cloud. As Rafael also mentions, the syncing could also expand to the Windows Phone.
Another welcome addition to Blue will be device associations, which basically will allow users to connect, for example, a Bluetooth keyboard to a laptop and Windows will make sure that this new device pairing configuration gets sync to the Microsoft cloud. This will enable users to easily connect the same peripheral to another tablet or PC without much configuration.
It is also said that Windows Blue will be able to sync other items such as:
- File History
- Installed Apps
- Picture Password
- Tethering
- Input Personalization
- Explorer Quick Links
- Apps Secondary Tiles
Windows Blue public preview is coming soon
Although, Blue will conserve pretty much every aspect of Windows 8 — because it is still Windows 8 –, we can already see that Microsoft is doing a huge effort to make the Windows a seamless experience across devices. And it is really exciting that everyone will soon be able to test the public preview, which is due by the end of June, and with a final release sometime in the summer 2013.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].