What's changed in the Windows 8.1 RTM release?

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  • Here's Start (and other UI hints)

    Here's Start (and other UI hints)

    When you first use a new account, animated hints appear in each of the four corners to alert you to their special functions. If you try the action and miss, you get a second level of help text and another animation.

    See also:  Windows 8.1 RTM: What's new, what's next?

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • A helpful hint for the charms menu, too

    A helpful hint for the charms menu, too

    This is the animated hint that appears in the upper right corner after you sign in to a Windows 8.1 account for the first time.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • The new Help + Tips app

    The new Help + Tips app

    One of the biggest criticisms of Windows 8 was its lack of any help for newcomers. The new Help _ Tips app aims to change that, with detailed information in six categories.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • More Help

    More Help

    This is a closer look at the "Start and apps" section of the new Windows 8.1 Help + Tips app.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • And still more Help

    And still more Help

    You won't find any animation or videos in the new Help + Tips app, only these screenshots, explanatory text, and links to online help resources.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • The new Mail app is here!

    The new Mail app is here!

    One of the loudest complaints about Windows 8 was its weak Mail app. The newly designed, full-featured Mail app in Windows 8 draws heavily from the Outlook.com experience and is far more full-featured than its predecessor.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • A cleaner view of People

    A cleaner view of People

    The People app is part of the unified communications app, which also includes Mail and Calendar. In Windows 8.1 it gets a major overhaul to remove clutter.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • A selection of Windows 8.1 desktop themes

    A selection of Windows 8.1 desktop themes

    It wouldn't be Windows without a selection of desktop themes. The default settings include a new Windows image and a "Lines and colors" slideshow.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • A subtle addition to the power menu

    A subtle addition to the power menu

    The original Start menu is gone, but Windows 8.1 still has the right-click WinX menu. One subtle change in Windows 8.1 is the addition of a Sign Out option in addition to the usual Sleep/Shut Down/Restart functions.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • IE 11 gets a reading view

    IE 11 gets a reading view

    The Reading View option in the Metro version of Internet Explorer 11 is new, with a handful of custom settings for fonts and colors.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • More tracking protection options

    More tracking protection options

    From the Metro version of Internet Explorer 11, you can still turn on Tracking Protection and control Do Not Track requests. For the first time you can also choose to block third-party cookies.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • Default settings

    Default settings

    When setting up a new account, you get some additional options, including several that make it very clear you're choosing to send additional information to Microsoft.

    Caption by: Ed Bott

  • SkyDrive is now a local file manager too

    SkyDrive is now a local file manager too

    It might seem like an odd place to find this feature, but the Windows 8.1 SkyDrive app now acts as a feature-rich version of File Explorer as well.

    See also:  Windows 8.1 RTM: What's new, what's next?

    Caption by: Ed Bott

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IE 11 gets a reading view

The Reading View option in the Metro version of Internet Explorer 11 is new, with a handful of custom settings for fonts and colors.

Caption by: Ed Bott

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