Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be available from July 29 as a free upgrade to those using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Promising to bring back the Start menu from previous iterations of the Windows OS, Windows 10 additions include the Cortana “personal digital assistant” and Windows Hello3 which  greets users by name and lets them log in to their PC without a password through biometric authentication

The venerable Internet Explorer disappears in favour of Microsoft Edge, an all-new browser promising quick results and content based on individual interests and preferences.

In addition to Office 2016 (sold separately), new Universal Windows applications for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will be offered on Windows 10.

The free upgrade offer is limited to those with qualified devices. Check here to see if you qiualify. http://windows.com/windows10upgrade.

Microsoft has an ambitious goal of 1 billion devices running Windows 10 in the next two to three years.

At the Computex 2015 convention in Taipei, a range of new devices designed for Windows 10 wer shown including:

• Acer Z3-710 is an all-in-one PC in a slim, 1.4-inch-thin chassis.
• ASUS Transformer Book T100HA is a 2-in-1 laptop with a detachable keyboard that boasts up to 14 hours of battery life and a tablet measuring 8.45mm and 580g.
• A new x2 from HP is a 2-in-1, ultra-portable, “tablet first” detachable — with an innovative magnetic hinge design that makes the device flexible and lappable — and with Windows 10, users can transition seamlessly from tablet to PC mode and back again in an instant.
• A new HP tablet for mobile productivity with inovative note-taking capabilities.
• A new Toshiba PC enables Windows Hello with the latest in biometric security technology, including a face-authentication camera, an Ultra HD 4K screen and optimisation for Cortana.