14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 9 will come with lots of improvements for both the desktop and the Modern UI, and one of the most important additions is definitely the Windows Phone 8.1-like notification center.
A video published on YouTube not long ago shows this notification center in action, confirming recent speculation pointing to a very simple design with basic options, as is the case with the Windows Phone feature.
Microsoft is working to make the desktop more helpful for those still using a mouse and a keyboard, so Windows 9 will come not only with a Start menu, but also with multiple desktops, and a PC version of Cortana supposed to help them perform a number of tasks with voice commands.
The notification center, however, will play a key role in keeping users up to date with what’s going to happen on their computers, regardless of whether we’re talking about desktop or Metro software.
Clean design, simple features
Microsoft has designed the notification center to launch from the System Tray, which is pretty much the only location where such a feature could actually make sense.
But as compared to what some people expected, its appearance is really simple and includes only information regarding installed apps, without any interaction option currently supported.
The video we have here shows the way Skype notifications are displayed in the center, with details including caller name, time of call, and the received messages.
At the same time, messages such as the typical “safe to remove hardware” popup displayed when you want to remove a USB device from your PC are also included in this notification center.
More options could be added soon
The notification center will display messages from both Metro and desktop software, but it doesn’t come with more advanced options such as the possibility of quickly replying a message you receive on Skype without actually launching the app.
Users can clear just a single notification or all at once, in a similar way they can do on Windows Phone 8.1. Interactive notifications could, however, be added at a later time, as the version we’re seeing here is an early build designed specifically for testing purposes.
Windows 9 preview is projected to be released to users later this month or in early 2015, with users to be allowed to download it after a press conference which could take place on September 30.
The stable version of the operating system is expected to launch in April 2015, but more on this will be provided by Microsoft at a later time, possibly during the September 30 event.
Word is that Windows 9 could be free for a number of users, including those running Windows 8.1, in order to boost early adoption figures and bring more people on the modern OS.
