"Windows 10 provides a unified experience across phones, tablets,

PCs and even the Xbox."

At an event last night, Microsoft gave us a closer glimpse at Windows 10, the latest

and biggest update to Windows yet. With Windows 10, Windows Phone as we

know it will cease to exist. Instead, Microsoft is creating a single, unified interface,

spread across phones, tablets, PCs and even the Xbox. And the best part, Microsoft

has confirmed that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for all existing Windows 7,

Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users for a year.

To create this experience, Microsoft is introducing universal versions of several of

its apps like Photos, Videos, Music, Maps, Office, People & Messaging, and Mail

& Calendar. These apps will sync across phones, tablets and PCs, and display

universal notifications via the Action Center. Personal content will synced through

OneDrive, to enable you to start something on one device and finish it on another

, similar to Apple's Continuity. Microsoft's voice assistant Cortana, which was a

Windows Phone-only feature earlier, will also make the jump to desktop. Like it does

on Windows Phone, Cortana will be able to learn your preferences, search the web

and set reminders.

To promote this new 'continuum', as Microsoft calls it, the company is allowing

developers to write a single app that can be ported across devices. Continuum

works in more ways than one. For users of the popular Windows hybrids –

tablets that can turn into laptops and vice-versa – the operating system will

automatically switch

between desktop and tablet mode depending on how you're using the device.

Microsoft will release the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview build for PC next week,

and for phones in February. Windows 10 is expected to be available for download

sometime later in the year, although we don't have an exact date yet.