Touchpad users could be surprised by them when moving the cursor around the right corners of the screen. This was especially convenient if you were viewing an app (or video site) in full-screen mode.īut the Charms would occasionally make unwanted appearances, especially for users of laptops with touchpads. Opening the Charms also offers a quick way to check the time, battery level, and Wi-Fi strength. Those give you access to commonly needed functions like Search, Share, Devices, and Settings. The same gesture invokes the Charms in that OS version. The mixed feelings come from the fact that I'm one of the few fans of the Charms in Windows 8/8.1. Action Center appears as a vertical panel on the right side of the screen when you swipe in from the right or tap a button in the Notification tray. I've had somewhat mixed feelings about the new feature, but I'm starting to warm up to it. Now Windows 10 brings it to PC desktops and laptops, in the form of the Action Center.

Mac OS X introduced a similar feature on the desktop with Mountain Lion in 2012. That is, the operating system can notify you about system or app events, and you can go back and peruse (and dismiss) them at your leisure. One advance that's made its way into every mobile OS over the past few years is a persistent notification feature.

How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.

How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.

How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.

How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.

How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.

How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.

Action center on dell laptop