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Microsoft releases first test builds of its Chromium-based Edge browser
Microsoft has released the first test versions of its new-look, Chromium-powered Edge browser on Windows 10. The Canary preview is updated every day and is more likely to have bugs, while the Developer version will have weekly updates. A more-stable beta build (which will be on a six-week update cycle) will be available in the future, and the full release will follow. But if you're happy to take a chance and check out the latest version of Edge sooner rather than later, now's your opportunity.
Windows 10 preview adds smarter active hours and a true light theme
Microsoft only just resumed rolling out its problematic Windows 10 October update, but it's already looking toward the future. The company has released a Windows 10 Insider Preview to Fast ring users with some big updates in tow, both conspicuous and otherwise. We'll address the elephant in the room right away: there's a true light theme that changes the entire interface, including the taskbar, Start menu and keyboard. If you think Windows is too dour (or just miss the old days of light-colored Microsoft UIs), you just have to make a quick settings change.
Windows 10 test feature can predict the best time for an update
Windows' forced automatic updates are probably the most hated aspect of the operating system. They can pop up when you're working against the clock, in the middle of presentations or while you're doing other crucial tasks. While it sucks that the problem exists in the first place, Microsoft is at least trying to fix the issue. The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview, for instance, will come with the ability to predict the best time to update your computer. According to Microsoft, it used a machine learning technique to train a predictive model to be able to tell when to roll out an update and when to hold off.
Latest Windows 10 test build adds SwiftKey and mixed reality options
Microsoft is giving Windows 10 users a peek at upcoming features, as long as they're brave enough to install the latest Insider Preview build. If you have a touchscreen, you can use SwiftKey, which brings predictive typing and autocorrect from the iOS and Android app's swipeable keyboards into Windows 10. It's available for both US and UK English, along with French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian -- potentially a dream for polyglots who are taking in the World Cup.
Microsoft tests a password-less Windows 10 S
Microsoft's latest Insider Preview update is a huge one, and for Windows 10 S users, it means being able to ditch system passwords. The tech giant is testing the ability to unlock the security-focused Windows flavor through an Authenticator App you can install on your phone. You simply have to set up Windows Hello with the app, and you won't see Password as a sign-in option anymore anywhere in the platform's interface. Even if you don't use Windows 10 S right now, you might be able to access this feature someday. According to reports, Microsoft plans to drop 10 S as a standalone product in order to offer it as a mode to both Home and Pro users.
Now Windows 10's 'Continue on PC' feature works from your iPhone
A couple of days ago Microsoft enabled a feature that lets Android users easily use the share button to push a web page from their cell phone to a Windows 10 PC. Now, it's released an app to manage the same feature on iOS-powered devices. It's available to users in the "Fast" ring of its Insiders preview program, who will need the latest build released for their PCs. Cross-device web browsing is one of the many features coming in the Fall Creators Update, and every new feature being beta tested means its release date keeps creeping closer.
Microsoft is getting its own AI-powered photo search
Microsoft's upcoming Photos app is getting AI image search so that it can spot and classify objects, much like Google Photos and Apple Photos can. Spotted by Windows Central, the latest Insider Preview version of the app now has a search bar that you can use to enter terms like "flower," "wine bottle," and "bar." It will then use a cloud-based image recognition algorithm to pick and sort out those items in your photo collection, much as the rival apps do.
Microsoft borrows from Xbox and PCs to improve enterprise services
Microsoft is taking inspiration from its Xbox and desktop beta tests, and bringing faster updates to its (admittedly tamer) Windows Server arm. Starting later this year, the company plans to deliver two rounds of updates each year, one in spring and one in fall, for Server customers. It's started things off with a new Insider Preview for Windows Server -- just like Microsoft does with other services. It has been planning a beta program for a while, and this should bring some of its enterprise offerings closer to the faster (and yeah, we know, more interesting) Xbox and Windows 10 desktop updates.
Windows 10 preview shows big changes are coming
Microsoft promised big changes to Windows 10 with the Fall Creators Update, and it's backing that up in spades with a new Insider Preview. Available to brave testers on the "Fast Ring," the release brings redesigned notifications in the Action Center, much improved handwriting and stylus support, upgrades to Cortana and the Edge browser, improved HDR support and more. The release may be Microsoft's biggest Insider Preview yet, judging by the massive post explaining all the new features.
Microsoft is testing an ebook store on Windows 10
Microsoft has unveiled an ebook store in the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview, the first time it has dabbled in bookselling since its ill-fated Barnes & Noble Nook partnership. Beta testers will be able to purchase ebooks from the Windows store, then organize and read them in the Edge browser. "Windows Insiders in the US get to try out this experience today starting with this build and we expect to add more content over time," the company said in a blog post.
Windows 10 Creators update tracks your work on multiple PCs
Microsoft has showed off more of what's coming in the Creators update in April. The latest "Fast Ring" Insider Preview, released just days after the last one, notably makes it easier to work across multiple computers. Cortana now shows quick links for Edge browser websites, cloud-based documents and other recent work when you switch to a different PC. "For example, if you were working on a PowerPoint deck on your laptop, when you later return to your desktop, a link to that deck appears in the Action Center," Microsoft wrote in a lengthy blog.
Windows 10 preview lets Cortana play music, turn off your PC
Cortana is the star of a big new Windows 10 Insider Preview build. Microsoft says that voice control of your PC was one its "top requests," so the latest update now lets you shutdown, restart, lock or sleep your system using the voice assistant. You can also use natural language to play music on two apps (iHeartRadio and TuneIn) by saying "Play Drake on iHeartRadio," for instance. Once the music starts, you can use your voice to control playback and volume.
Windows Preview build prevents Edge tabs from piling up
The latest Windows Insider Preview build for PC and mobile comes with an extensive list of bug fixes and improvements, but one feature in particular has the potential to become a procrastinator's BFF. Microsoft has armed Edge's tabs with an experimental "Snooze" action that you can use to set a Cortana reminder. Once time's up, the reminder will pop up as a notification and in Action Center. You don't even have leave that tab open, since clicking on the reminder automatically loads the website.
Microsoft drops Windows 10's 'messaging everywhere' feature
When the Windows 10 Anniversary update arrives this summer, it will be missing one thing we were expecting: messaging everywhere. The feature Microsoft has been testing was similar to Apple's crossplatform iMessage integration, and Google's SMS-via-Hangouts. Switching on "Send texts on all my Windows devices" enabled users to send and receive text messages from the Messaging app on their computer that synced directly with the app on their phone.
Windows 10 preview makes it easier to do a fresh install
Windows 10 Insiders are greedy but brave souls who want the latest software toys and are willing to take some risks to get them. The latest preview build (14367) gives them a "get out of jail free" card, however, with a new tool called "Refresh Windows." According to Microsoft, the tool will "install a clean copy of the most recent version of Windows, and remove apps that came pre-installed or that you installed on your PC." The caveats are that it's only available to Windows 10 Insider Preview users (of course) and that it will replace the latest version with an older, but more stable Insider Preview build.
Windows 10's latest preview sends web videos to your TV
If you've wanted nothing more than to sling web videos from your Windows 10 PC to your TV, today's a very big day. Microsoft has released a Windows 10 Insider Preview build that gives early adopters (specifically, those on the Fast ring) the ability to cast media in Edge. The web browser now sends audio, photos and videos to any DLNA- or Miracast-capable device (an Xbox One should do it) on your network, whether it's a YouTube clip or a Pandora radio stream. There is a big gotcha, unfortunately: copy-protected content won't work, so don't expect to put Netflix on the big screen. Even so, it's good to have an alternative to Google's Chrome browser, Cast API and Chromecast hardware for easily sharing web content with the rest of your home.
