On its official Windows blog, Microsoft announced that it has released the first build of the Windows 10 technical preview for phones, with the software now available for download by Windows Insiders.
This is the first public preview for Windows 10 mobile, which is a version of the upcoming Windows 10 operating system that is specifically created to power ARM-based Windows phones and ARM-based and Intel-based phablets and small tablet computers.
Microsoft's announcement, however, comes with the warning that the preview is still very much under its developmental stages, which means that users that try out the software will undoubtedly see bugs and unfinished portions of the operating system. The release of the Windows 10 technical preview is for users to test it out and provide valuable feedback to the software's developers early on in its development.
That said, there are already several new, noteworthy features for Windows 10 mobile.
- A full-sized background image for the Start screen, with users able to choose which image they want to use as an intensely personal customization option.
- Additional quick actions in the Action Center, increasing the four programmable quick actions in the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system to an expanded view with three rows in Windows Phone 10.
- Interactive notifications, which allow users to take actions directly upon the notifications that the user receives without having to access the program that sent out the notification.
- Significantly improved speech-to-text capabilities, which can be used on about any data field that the user chooses. As the user speaks, the words will show up with punctuation automatically being added.
- More powerful Photos application, which collects and shows all the device's local photos and all the user's photos uploaded to OneDrive upon the first launch.
However, Cortana, Microsoft's smart assistant, takes a step back in this technical preview for Windows Phone 10 as the software will be limited to US-only and English-only capabilities. Cortana fans will not need to worry as the software will be developed and will receive all its features as Windows Phone 10 development progresses.
For users and developers that wish to try out the Windows 10 mobile technical preview, they would first have to be members of the Windows Insider program. The members of the program are the official testers of the technical previews of the Windows 10 operating system.
Once a member of the Windows Insider program, users will then have to register their devices to be able to receive the technical previews as over-the-air updates.
The technical previews all come with Windows Feedback apps to allow the testers to easily report problems and send in suggestions.
Members of the Windows Insider program will be receiving all the updates for the technical previews until the final build that will be released for all customers.
