Windows 10 to get "Handoff" feature of OS X's Continuity

Windows 10's Continuum and OS X's Continuity may share the same first seven letters, but that's where their similarities end. Continuity lets users of multiple Apple devices switch seamlessly between them, continuing their workflow or taking their calls with them. Continuum, on the other hand, lets users use apps on their phone like a desktop app when connected to a bigger screen. The gap between the two might soon get narrower, at least from the Microsoft side, with Windows 10's next version rumored to get a feature similar to Continuity's Handoff.

In a nutshell, Handoff lets you "take" what you were doing on, say, a Mac and continue it on your iPhone when you need to detach yourself from your desk, or the other way around. As even data or content is "migrated" between devices, the transition is seamless and the disruption minimal. Of course, it requires using the same app, and not all apps support it yet, but the feature is undoubtedly powerful for creativity.

Soon, Windows 10 might get that exact same feature. Some might chide Microsoft for copying, but, to be fair, Apple was not exactly original in the idea to some extent, though its execution is admittedly nearly perfect. As with the core Continuum, Microsoft's equivalent feature will most likely leverage the nascent Universal Windows Platform. Meaning support will just be as limited.

Fine details are still absent on this "pick up where I left off" feature, which hopefully will get a catchier name, but the broad strokes are similar to OS X's Continuity. The e-mail you were writing on your desktop can be seamlessly continued on your smartphone, or the Maps you were viewing on your mobile will jump right into the desktop or tablet.

This is a new feature that is rumored to be heading for "Redstone", the codename for the next major update for Windows 10 scheduled later this year. Microsoft is most likely to tease some of those new features, which include something new for Live Tiles, at its BUILD developer conference tomorrow.

VIA: WinBeta