REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft on Wednesday took the wraps off a new version of Windows — and a new wearable 3-D gadget it calls the HoloLens.
The company showed the new headset, which lets users view and interact with three-dimensional images, at an event where it also revealed new features coming to the company’s flagship operating software.
Executives said Windows 10 is designed to embrace the way people use computers today — offering a familiar experience as they switch back and forth from personal computers to tablets, smartphones and other gadgets.
While it’s designed to let apps work in similar fashion on all those devices, Windows 10 also will come with a new Web browser that will be closely integrated with Cortana, the company’s voice-activated answer to Siri. Microsoft is expanding Cortana to serve as a search engine and personal assistant, capable of answering questions and responding to commands such as “Play music” on desktop and laptop computers, as well as mobile devices.
Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will be released this year as a free upgrade for anyone owning a computer or gadget that’s currently running Windows 8.1 or 7, the two previous versions of the software.
As for the company’s new hologram device, executives did not say when it will be available for sale. But they talked about using it for games as well as more serious purposes, such as helping a surgeon visualize a new operating technique or showing someone how to perform plumbing repairs.
