And here we go. Another leaked build of Windows Blue. We have put up a video walkthough of all the new features in the leaked Windows 8.1 (Windows Blue) build 9369. Let’s recap what we know so far about this build and scroll to the bottom of the post to see the video.
With the leak of a second Windows Blue build (9369), we catch our first glimpse of the new SkyDrive integration with Windows 8. It appears that Windows 8.1 (Windows Blue) will feature a Files app that lets you see your file system as well as your SkyDrive storage.
Those using a mouse can now access the Apps List by clicking a button at the bottom of the screen. Clicking it will open the Apps List, which seems to slide from the bottom of the screen. Clicking the App List button again will close it and slide the Start Screen back to focus. This further confirms better mouse support in Windows 8.1. We expect the placement of that App List button to be relocated as development progresses.
You can now see your Apps sorted by the most used, the date it was installed, and by the name of the app. The Most Used feature for sorts your App List will show you the most used apps, followed by the moderately used apps, followed by least used apps.
While on the Start Screen, you can now begin typing and seeing the Search Charm on the right hand side without being taken to the search result page automatically. In other words, you can search for something while keeping the Start Screen open. This feature is great and was needed badly!
Other changes we have noticed so far is the new option to connect to a wireless display, new touchpad options in PC Settings, more Ease of Access settings, and a ‘Save Files to SkyDrive by default’ setting. We also observed the Charms bar to be slightly more transparent and a new animation when opening apps.
You can now sync more settings from the PC setting app. Syncing now includes Start Screen layout, Browser settings, mouse settings, file explorer settings, the lot! These features we’re spotted in 9364 via regedit, so this isn’t really new, however the options in PC Settings are.
Snap view has also been updated to make it easier for you to choose where you want to Snap the app to, even featuring a cool animation. This feature makes it easier than ever to see exactly where your app is being snapped to.
Windows Blue is still in active development so things can always change as the build numbers progress. We expect to see a public preview of Windows Blue during Build 2013 this June.
