Windows 10 Review: Finally a Worthy Upgrade from Microsoft

4 years ago, Microsoft released first developer preview of Windows 8. They took the risk and migrated their design philosophy from traditional keyboard-mouse friendly desktop applications to full-screen touch-friendly Metro apps. This was the major transformation in their beloved Windows 7. The complete desktop environment and its features were treated as a separate app in Windows 8 (the same way MS-DOS was a bit important part of Windows 95). People loved (and still love) the Windows 7 the way it was. 'Start menu', which was the heart of Windows was replaced with a Start screen full of large square boxes. All the crucial system functions were moved to so-called 'Charms bar' in right side of screen. With this major step, Microsoft basically intended to move users from 'traditional' desktop environment to 'modern' touch-based tablet environment. It was also a part of Microsoft's plan to make users familiar with their metro apps (or modern apps, or store apps, whatever you call it!) to gain share in mobile market with Windows 8's mobile variant, Windows Phone 8. Windows RT was yet another variant of Windows 8 specially for ARM-based tablets.

Well, a device with Windows RT created an ok tablet. Microsoft released Surface, Surface 2 and Surface 3. But it was in direct competition with Apple's giant, iPad along with many cheaper Android tablets and hence failed to gain popularity. Nokia Lumia devices with Windows Phone 8 gained a bit of popularity and their market share increased by 0.8-1% (Still a huge move in mobile market for Microsoft!) which was decreased by 0.5% in 2015 Q1. Coming to desktops, Microsoft forced users to buy Windows 8 which came along with newly purchased notebooks. Only 15-20% of industry users were actually migrated to Windows 8.

Windows 8 basically confused users to choose between modern interface and desktop interface. All the core functionalities of OS were moved to full-screen Metro based settings instead of friendly Control Panel. Microsoft later came up with a minor update, Windows 8.1 which basically tried to fix the situation with Start button on taskbar, close and minimize buttons on title bar of modern apps etc. But nothing worked. An attempt of Microsoft to bring uniformity in mobile, desktop and tablet environments failed miserably. With this whole mess that Microsoft created with Windows 8, there was a need to go back to basics, making Windows the way users loved it. And this was the foundation stone of Windows 10! This is the last time we are seeing any major Windows release. Microsoft basically wants to stop hurdle of getting users to its latest platform by 'Windows as a service' strategy, just like Apple's Mac OS X. Apple has been providing users free yearly upgrades for OS X since 10 years. This is the first time in history Microsoft is adopting this strategy for its products and it's really a good change. With Insider program, Microsoft listened to feedback from millions of Windows fans and added new features accordingly in preview builds.

29th July 2015, was a big day for Microsoft. Windows 10 was released as a free upgrade to all genuine users of Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Just like Windows 7 cleaned up mess created by Vista, Windows 10 is here to clean up mess created by Windows 8. Windows 10 is basically amalgamation of all good features of Windows 7 and 8. Microsoft basically added many new features to the OS keeping all the beloved features intact and removed all annoying touch specific features like charms bar.
After boot, you are taken to friendly desktop instead of full-screen start screen.

Taskbar looks much improved with some extra useful toolbars. After clicking on start button, you can notice the return of 2-column Start menu with newer look and feel. But I personally still find Windows 7's start menu much friendlier. All the 'live' tiles inherited from Windows 8 are still on the right side. Love them or hate them, they are there and the only way users have is to adopt this change.

"All Apps" takes you to the list of all applications containing apps from Windows Store as well as "traditional" desktop apps.

Looks good! If you have used Windows 8 for long time, it's like meeting your lost older friend again!
All the apps from Windows Store now have a new home. These apps now launch in their individual windows instead of alien full-screen.

This is a welcome change. You can now resize, minimize, maximize or close these windows. Metro UI is now significantly improved with much better design and new controls friendly for keyboard-mouse and touch as well.
Windows 10 now comes with Microsoft's answer to voice assistant, the Cortana, a rival for Google Now and Apple's Siri.

With "Ask me anything" toolbar of Cortana, you can search apps, settings, web, files and a lot more.

"Multiple Desktops" is yet another good feature of Windows 10. It is same as Ubuntu workspaces. 

You can quickly create a new instance of clean desktop, in case it is crowded with opened apps. Few issues are still there in this feature. But they will be fixed in new updates.
With all the funny internet trolls and bad reviews, Microsoft has finally decided to kill its highly criticized web browser "Internet Explorer" from Windows 10. Windows now comes with fresh new "Edge".

Unlike Internet Explorer, Edge is a WebKit based browser and serves as a good alternative to Chrome and Firefox, especially for those who avoid these opensource browsers for security issues. Edge performs a way better and faster than IE.

Windows 10 comes with a dedicated "Action Center" on right side which contains all important system notifications and Quick toggle actions like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode etc.

All the important system settings in Windows 10 are now moved to modern "Settings" app. While Control Panel is still available for advanced configuration settings, Settings app is designed for quick settings like System, Devices, Network, Accounts, Updates etc.

 I still find Control Panel sophisticated and friendlier than Settings app. Some advanced settings are available in both Settings and Control Panel.

People which are "used to" with Windows 7 are going to find Settings app as totally alien interface. I expect improvements in Settings app in coming updates.

There is a special feature in Windows 10, called as "tablet mode" designed specially for touch-based devices and acts as updated tablet version of Windows 8.

This was the most demanded feature by Windows fans. It shows a touch-friendly interface specifically designed for tablets. But obviously, no one is going to use it on desktops and laptops.

Unlike previous versions of Windows where you can disable Auto-Updates, in Windows 10 you can't simply disable Auto-Updates. You have no idea when your computer downloads and installs updates. But this is the major step of Microsoft to kill piracy by forcefully providing all users the latest updates. After finishing installing updates, Windows requires a restart which a user can schedule on his demand. Instead of providing updates for complete OS after few years, new update program of Windows will now provide updates for individual apps and components like start menu, taskbar etc.

Windows NT kernel, which is the heart of Windows, now has version number NT 10.0, directly jumping from NT 6.3 in Windows 8.1.

NT 4.0

NT 5.0: Windows 2000

NT 5.1: Windows XP

NT 5.2: Windows XP 64-bit Edition

NT 6.0: Windows Vista

NT 6.1: Windows 7

NT 6.2: Windows 8

NT 6.3: Windows 8.1

NT 10.0: Windows 10

Finally, a good step by Microsoft to make sense in OS version number by matching it with NT kernel version number.

Thus, with so many welcomed good features and few shortcomings (that we hope to be fixed with updates), Windows 10 acts as a worthy upgrade from Microsoft after Windows 7. Microsoft has finally understood its dominance on desktops and solved most of the mistakes made with Windows 8. Our beloved desktop OS is now much powerful, faster and better to use. If you are a Windows 7 user who hesitated to use Windows 8, this is the time for you to upgrade. You will get most of your PC with Windows 10.

Microsoft now comes with "One Product Family, One Platform, One Store" strategy and we have high expectations on Windows 10 to fulfill it. Mobile variant of Windows 10 which is "Windows 10 Mobile" is expected to launch in September and has already captured attention of mobile users with its preview. But everything related to it in my next post. If you still have questions in mind regarding Windows 10, you can post them in comments. Thanks!

Airtel 4G Network Review in Pune

I was always curious about 4G LTE technology. Airtel has launched TDD-LTE in India on 2300 MHz band 3 years ago. But expansion of this 4G network was steady because of lack of 4G device ecosystem. Very few among all 4G devices support 2300 MHz band. FDD-LTE on 1800 MHz band is more common in the world. But now situation is different. Many mobile manufacturers are supporting TDD-LTE before launching their product in India. 4G mobiles are now available in India for price as low as Rs 5000.
Recently, I bought Nokia Lumia 638 which is currently the cheapest 4G mobile in India for Rs 5400. The phone has moderate configuration with Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 5MP camera and most important 4G TDD-LTE support.
Firstly, I inserted my Airtel SIM card in the phone but it was showing no 4G network option in network mode. Later, I realised that 4G network needs a brand new 128k SIM which is different from normal 64k SIM which is used for 3G/2G.
I contacted local Airtel outlet and exchanged my existing SIM with 128k 4G ready SIM. Now I got 4G option that I was expecting.

As Airtel 4G coverage is currently very weak in Pune, I had to go outside to hunt for 4G network. On highway, there was a good 4G coverage. I saw 4G symbol for the first time on my device. That was really a moment full of happiness :D

I performed a network search on the same place and I was getting Reliance Jio's 4G network also. But I couldn't figure out whether it was FDD-LTE or TDD-LTE.

In recent spectrum auction of 2015, major telecom players in India like Idea, Airtel, Vodafone and Jio have purchased 1800 MHz spectrum from Government for FDD-LTE which is more common worldwide. So we can expect FDD-LTE launch in coming months.

Further I performed many network speed tests at various locations in Pune and I was getting 20 Mbps speed on an average.

4G network doesn't support traditional services like voice calls, USSD and SMS. The network automatically switches to 2G or 3G when any incoming/outgoing call or SMS is there. This switching is seamless and very fast. Battery consumption on 4G is still moderate and depends on how much data you download on phone with 4G network.
Currently, Airtel 4G plans are same as 3G. As you recharge with any 3G plan, you get 4G speeds whenever the network is available.
Well, Airtel 4G network in India is currently ok ok. It just provides higher speeds than 3G and has lower latency. With Cat. 4 LTE that my Lumia 638 supports, theoretical peak speed of 4G network is 150 Mbps. So, 4G in India is still is in infant stage with lower coverage and average performance.
My hopes are on the next big thing Reliance Jio (RJIL). Expected launch of Reliance Jio's 4G is in December 2015. Still a few months away!
I will share with you as soon as I get any update about that. Till then, stay tuned!

LTE User Equipment (UE) Categories: Which one is meant for you?

Many companies are launching their 4G-enabled phones from this year. Recently launched Xiaomi's MI Note 4G is available in India for Rs 8999.
Different 4G phones come with different speeds. LTE UE category of the device decides max downlink/uplink speed that it supports.
In this post, I am going to summarise various LTE UE categories from 3GPP and devices which support particular category.

Category	Max Downlink Speed (Mbps)	Max Uplink Speed (Mbps)	3GPP Release	No. of Supported MIMO	Supported Devices
Cat 1	10	5	Rel. 8 (LTE)	1	N/A
Cat 2	50	25	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	N/A
Cat 3	100	50	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	Original Moto X, iPhone 5
Cat 4	150	50	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	Nexus 5, Moto G 4G, Moto X (2nd Generation), iPhone 6, MI Note 4G, Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G3
Cat 5	300	75	Rel. 8 (LTE)	2	N/A
Cat 6	300	50	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	Huawei Honor 6, Samsung Galaxy S6 LTE-A, LG G3 LTE-A, Nexus 6
Cat 7	300	150	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A
Cat 8	1200	600	Rel. 10 (LTE-Advanced)	8	N/A
Cat 9	450	50	Rel. 11 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A
Cat 10	450	100	Rel. 11 (LTE-Advanced)	2 or 4	N/A

Among these, Cat 3, Cat 4 and Cat 6 devices are more common. Cat 9 devices will arrive in 2016.
Cat 3 devices are slowly becoming outdated and most of the phones coming next year will support Cat 4 LTE. Cat 6 and above UE categories are also mentioned as LTE-Advanced. Carrier aggregation is the special characteristic of LTE-Advanced. It allows to aggregate two distinct parts spectrum for better network throughput and hence higher speeds.
Cat 4 LTE will be in many budget 4G phones coming next year. Many cheaper Snapdragon SOCs including 210, 400, 410, 610, 615 and 800 support Cat 4 LTE. Cat 6 LTE is supported by high-end Snapdragon SOCs like 805 and 808. It is mostly meant for high end flagship phones. Snapdragon 810 SOC includes support for Cat 9 LTE. But no device currently supports it. Alright, that's enough information to check how much LTE potential your device has.