![]() ![]() What’s the point of a calendar if I can’t add appointments to it, review holidays, or simply do anything with it? With Cortana being pushed aside, there’s no real simple way to schedule a quick reminder. The real glaring issue with the Action Center is the lack of a fully-functional calendar, which just seems too weird. Windows 11’s Action Center is more neatly organized, but excludes some information that Windows 10 provided up front. I also find I look at the notifications less than I used to. But it’s not perfect in Windows 10, the various icons present more opportunities to communicate information, such as which audio device is being controlled by the volume slider. After a few months, I’ve come to like how everything is clustered together, rather than being scattered across multiple taskbar icons on Windows 10. My opinion has changed on the Action Center, which occupies the lower right-hand corner within Windows 11. Action Center and Notifications: A step forward Cortana doesn’t seem like it’s worth installing just for quickly setting up reminders, which is one reason I used it fairly heavily in Windows 10. But I honestly don’t care what service I use for general queries, such as the exchange rate of the euro or when Halo was first released. But I’m willing to believe most people find a way to find what they want, however that is, and settle on it. Maybe I’ve become acclimated to using a search bar, which is what I tended to use in Windows 10.įor whatever reason I don’t find myself using Widgets, or the search box within it or the Windows 11 search icon. ![]() My gut tells me that I could probably be more efficient by using the Search app, and it might be worth forcing myself into the habit to see if that’s a more effective method. As I’ve noted above, I “search” to launch apps, but most of my Internet searches are conducted via a browser or file searches within File Explorer, or I simply open the most recent document within a specific app. That’s probably the same way I view Windows’ built-in Search icon - it’s simply not programmed into my daily use. Microsoft/Edge/Bing benefits either way, I suppose. On the other hand, I chronically read an article or two in Edge every time I open a new tab in the “Informational” view. But I usually don’t bother hovering over the weather icon in the taskbar to trigger Widgets. I simply don’t need anything else.Īs a journalist, I’m technically in favor of Widgets, Microsoft’s collection of news and information. I have Google Meet, I have the “real” Microsoft Teams, and I have Zoom. I can say only one thing about Teams Chat: I went to the Settings menu ( Personalization > Taskbar) and toggled it off months ago. Widgets, Teams Chat, and Search: The forgotten functions It would be nice if Microsoft did the same officially. Doesn’t this contravene the idea of making Windows more accessible?Īrranging your tabs vertically along the left edge of the screen is a choice Microsoft affords Edge users, but not those who use Windows 11.įortunately, third-party tools like Start11 and StartAllBack fix many (but not all) of the most annoying issues with Windows 11’s Start menu and taskbar. Now, you can group Windows 11 apps together in a folder and make the icons smaller as a consequence. One of the key visual elements of Windows 10 was the ability to visually weigh specific apps and folders by resizing them. Yes, I know that Start folders appear to be scheduled for release during the fall, but let’s face it: They’ve already botched those too. ![]() It feels so horribly institutional, a sea of icons with no rhyme or reason. When I do need to use the Start menu, though, I really loathe doing so in Windows 11. ![]() I usually launch apps using the latter method. You can also type Win+R to “run” programs, or simply “search” for them by hitting the Windows key, typing the name of the app, and hitting Enter. Windows has a variety of ways to launch apps within Windows. To be fair, I use the Start menu as a “Start” about half the time. But that story includes a section that’s hardly applicable to Windows 11: the Start menu. Personalization matters, which is why we wrote a “ how to personalize your PC” story for Windows 10. But there’s a price to be paid for its efficiency, and that’s its sense of fun. Windows 11’s Settings menu is nicely organized, and a real strength of the OS. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |