Five new features available with Windows 8.1

You might be aware of it, you might not, but today Microsoft has released the Windows 8.1 update, which you can download free from the Windows Store.

But what will it bring with it? Here are five of the many exciting features heading to your Windows device once you hit install.

The Start Screen and Start Button

The Start button will return. Well almost. The Windows 8.1 update won't completely resurrect the button in its previous form with the tree of apps, but it will be permanently visible in the lower-left hand corner so you won't have to hover with your mouse to make it appear.

As for Start Screen, you'll be able to customise it a bit better to suit your tastes. The update will bring a variety of tile sizes including a new small and large tile, which you can use to display calendar updates, weather, mail or whatever you fancy.

You'll also be able to move tiles around easier, and it will be easier to name groups so you can keep organised.

Personalising your device

The Windows 8.1 update provides a range of customisation options that go further than just being able to rearrange the tiles on the Start Screen.

You will be able to change the background of the Start Screen to a photo or a colour using the new colour slider tool, and match it to your desktop. There are also "Motion Accents" such as a dragon, which follow your finger and move in sync with your actions.

In addition, the lock screen will also display a slideshow of your photos from your PC, SkyDrive, or your phone all in one place, should you want family and friends popping up at every opportunity.

Swipe for apps

Not only will you find some new apps from Microsoft with the new update, such as a Sound Recorder, Calculator and Movie Moments, but you will also only have to swipe up to reveal your list of apps.

Once you have the list up, you can do a manner of things including sorting them in a number of ways, or moving them to your Start Screen by pressing and holding the app. You can also select a couple of apps to move at once, rearrange them on your Start Screen and rename them.

You'll be able to sort the apps by name, most used, install date or category such as games or news so it will make all your apps easy to find the way you find best.

50/50 split screen apps

That isn't all the Windows 8.1 update brings for the apps though. You'll also be able to have two apps running side by side, as opposed to one thin and one large, which is the case in Windows 8.

Not only will you be able to resize the apps to any size you want by simply moving the edge of each box, but also the screen can be shared between two, three or even four apps on larger screens.

Search functionality

The Windows 8.1 update also brings with it a new search feature, providing a curated app-like experience to the function. It pulls together everything from your PC and the internet into one place, similar to Apple's Spotlight.

The web results will show you what the web page will look like before you click on it for example, and the image search gives you a number of filters including colour and size so you can find the type of image you want quicker.

There are just five new features here, with plenty more to experiment with so it's time to hit the download button if you want to start discovering what your Windows device can do.

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