October saw the release of the latest Windows 10 feature update, version 20H2. This is quite a small update compared to previous feature updates, and there aren’t many new features.
A lot of the changes this time are under the bonnet, with improvements to the way updates are applied in the future. There are also some changes to system settings with more features moving away from the old control panel and into the Windows 10 settings app. All very boring stuff.
If you use the “Your Phone” app to connect to an Android device then you’ll see some great improvements with the ability to access Android apps on Samsung devices. There are a few cosmetic changes to the start menu to make it match your system theme a bit better. And if you’re using a Windows 10 convertible tablet, then you’ll notice some improvements to the way Windows changes modes from laptop to tablet mode.
The biggest change is that the new version of Microsoft Edge is installed with 20H2. The new version of Edge has been available as a standalone download for a few months but this new windows update makes it compulsory, which is great news. The new Edge browser is leagues ahead of the classic version of Edge, and it is now based on the Chromium software that is also used in Google Chrome and other browsers too.
Being based on Google Chrome brings some great advantages to Edge users. Firstly the software is much more stable than previous versions and will instantly be more compatible with more websites than the old version of Edge. New Edge can also install extensions from the Chrome extensions library, so this means that security software and enhancements built for Chrome can also be used in Edge.
If you’ve been looking for a decent new laptop then you’re probably out of luck, the supply problems are still with us running up to Christmas, but we’re hoping the importers will get more machines into the UK after the New Year. It will probably be February or March until the prices come down to something sensible again.
If you are looking for a new laptop or computer then our general advice is to go for a minimum of an i3 processor, ideally an i5 but definitely avoid AMD or Celeron/Atom/Pentium Gold processors. 4GB RAM is the minimum for modern life but 8GB will perform faster. Almost all machines now have a SSD drive which is great for performance. Our opinion is that HP and Lenovo make good machines, also Acer and Asus but avoid Dell, Zoostorm, Medion and Punch.