Public launch of Windows 8.1 to include even more new features

Even though Windows 8.1 is in the hands of developers and IT professionals globally right now, Microsoft still has some surprises up their sleeves left for the launch of the OS on October 18.

The Verge reports today that Microsoft is working on a number of feature additions and application updates alongside the last minute bug fixes that are planned for launch day.

According to their report, the Bing apps will be updated to include new features such as hotel and restaurant search, instructional videos specially created for the service by world renowned chefs and thousands of new recipes have been added. Additionally, Bing Finance will allow users to connect to their portfolio directly and make trades within the app.

There’s also a new major camera feature called “Photo Loop” that appears to be similar to a feature of BlackBerry 10 devices that allows you to rewind parts of photos to get a better shot (such as a friend who is blinking). Apparently this will require new hardware, which is disappointing.

As you’d expect, these updates will go live on Windows 8.1 launch day which is set for October 18th around the world (starting in New Zealand). It’s getting close now!