Posted on Tuesday, June 04 2013 @ 20:04 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Microsoft shared details about some of Windows 8.1's features at the TechEd North America conference, you can read about it
at Bit Tech.
To Microsoft's announcement: Windows 8.1 will include networking features that are built with mobile devices clearly in mind. Devices with near-field communication (NFC) hardware - an extension of the radiofrequency identification (RFID) system that allows for two-way short-range communication between devices - will be able to pair with printers simply by tapping their device to whichever printer is chosen, prompting the device to download and install the correct driver and set the default printer to the last one tapped. Using off-the-shelf RFID tags to achieve this, enterprises - for that's where Microsoft sees the function being of most use - will simply need to tag their existing printers to enable the function, rather than needing to buy brand-new NFC-enabled models.
Windows 8.1 is also tipped to include Wi-Fi Direct printing support for the first time, allowing mobile devices to connect to an ad-hoc network driven by the printer itself and automatically select the printer without the need to install drivers or additional software. Other networking features include integrated support for the Miracast wireless display standard - again driven by an NFC tap gesture - and the ability to create a Wi-Fi hotspot out of a Windows 8.1 tablet with integrated 3G or 4G modem. Improvements to Windows' handling of virtual private network (VPN) connections are also included, triggering a VPN connection automatically if a protected resource is demanded - a feature that will extend to selected third-party VPN client software.
