Frankly speaking, I don’t just tolerate Windows 10. I like it. The still new operating system from Microsoft improves on Windows 8 in almost every way. When I tell people I enjoy using Windows, they’re generally baffled.
It’s not that I love everything about Microsoft or Windows 10; there are some things that I simply can’t stand about them both. What I do appreciate is the amount of customizing that you are able to do and how far-reaching the tendrils of Windows and its core services are at this point. My Windows 10 machine is just is good as any Mac, once I’ve made some changes to the way it works and behaves.
I’m not promising that you too can love Windows 10 if you make the same changes to your device that I have. I do consider you could find yourself able to tolerate Windows 10, at the very least.
Enable Cortana Always Listening
The single best feature of Windows 10, is Cortana, the digital assistant that first came to Windows Phone before expanding into Windows, iOS and Android this year. She’s my scratchpad and encyclopedia. Having her in Windows and syncing to my iPhone makes every day run a bit smoother. Once I’ve got security nailed down, I move on to enabling her.
Click or tap on the Cortana icon to the left of the Windows button on your Taskbar. After agreeing to Microsoft’s Terms & Conditions, go into her Notebook and explore her settings. Enable Always Listening so that you can give her commands whenever you need to. You may want to tell her some information about yourself too.
Change Time Zones Automatically
Windows has been able to change its own clock for to adjust for daylight savings time for years. One of the few features Microsoft added in the Windows 10 November Update was the option for Windows to manually adjust for changes in Time Zone. I traveled a lot last year. Sometimes didn’t remember to adjust my Surface Pro 4 accordingly.
Enable Time Zone adjustments by tapping or clicking on the clock in the Taskbar. Then tap or click on Date and Time Settings.
Install Microsoft Companion Apps on Your iPhone or Android Device
Using a Windows Phone for years allowed me to get access to the same apps and services of Microsoft’s from anywhere. When I switched away from Windows Phone a few years ago I thought I was leaving all of Microsoft’s services behind. I did ditch some of them, but not all of them.
OneDrive, Outlook, Cortana, Groove Music, OneNote, Word, PowerPoint and Excel are available in the iTunes Store and the Google Play Store.
