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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.
Microsoft says it fixed a Windows 10 update bug that deleted folders
Last week the October 2018 update for Windows 10 had barely arrived before Microsoft was forced to pause its rollout, as a few users complained of missing files. Now Microsoft says it has identified and fixed the problem, which was related to a feature called "Known Folder Redirection (KFR)" and an attempt to remove extra duplicate folders that could cause lost files in three specific scenarios.
Windows 10 is adding an Ultimate Performance mode for pros
When you're creating 3D models or otherwise running intensive tasks, you want to wring every ounce of performance out of your PC as possible. It's a good thing, then, that Microsoft has released a Windows 10 preview build in the Fast ring that includes a new Ultimate Performance mode if you're running Pro for Workstations. As the name implies, this is a step up for people for whom even the High Performance mode isn't enough -- it throws power management out the window to eliminate "micro-latencies" and boost raw speed. You can set it yourself, but PC makers will have the option of shipping systems with the feature turned on.
Windows 10's 'Timeline' continuity is available for testing
Windows 10's much-hyped Timeline feature didn't make the cut for the initial release of the Fall Creators Update, but you will get to try it over the holidays. Microsoft has released a Insider Preview for Fast Ring testers that (surprise!) finally gives you access to Timeline's continuity. Visit the Task View and you can resume what you were doing on another device, whether it's going back to a website from another Windows 10 PC (using the Edge browser, of course) or finishing work in a Word document that you'd started on your Android or iOS device. Cortana will also suggest tasks to continue, so you might barely have to lift a finger to get back to an earlier task.
Microsoft's 'Insiders' can test Windows 10 S on any PC
Microsoft's Windows Insiders program lets interested users test future versions of the operating system before they're released to the public. While owners of Windows 10 S, Microsoft's app-based light operating system, were able to try out experimental builds as Insiders, but it wasn't the easiest thing to sign up for. Now, not only has Microsoft added shortcuts for signing up within the lightweight OS, they've built a slick installer that makes it easy for regular Windows 10 users to try it out.
Windows 10 preview connects your Android phone to your PC
Microsoft is acting on its promise to make PCs and phones live in harmony. It just posted a Windows 10 Insider Preview (on the Fast ring) that introduces the first batch of features integrating Windows with your mobile devices. If you have an Android phone, you can link it to your PC to continue your web browsing on the bigger screen. Once it's set up, you only have to use your browser's usual sharing option to punt a website to your computer. The preview is missing iPhone support and many of the slicker features Microsoft promised in the Fall Creators Update, such as seamless document syncing, but it could be worth a try.
Windows 10 preview delivers new emoji and easy GPU tracking
Windows Insiders have a big day today. Microsoft just released Windows 10 Preview Build 16226 for PCs and it's got a whole host of new goodies inside.
Microsoft opens up its Windows Insider preview for Business
Since Microsoft launched its Insider Program a few years ago, millions of people have signed up to test out upcoming versions of Windows 10 on their devices. One small issue, however, was a limitation forcing users to sign up with their personal accounts, even though many users either work in IT or have business laptops/software they need to test out. Now, following up on an announcement from February, Microsoft has opened up the Windows Insider for Business program, so people can sign in with an Azure Active Directory account (the used for stuff like Office 365).
Windows 10 finally displays download progress for purchased apps
Turns out that Game Mode and streaming via Windows 10's built-in Beam app were only the tip of the update iceberg. A post on the Windows 10 blog also details a handful of extra additions for folks in the Windows Insider program.
Windows 10 Creators Update will add tab previews and a night mode
Windows 10's Creators Update will have its fair share of pleasant surprises, apparently. Microsoft has released a new Windows Insider preview that stuffs in quite a few new features, some of which you might just use every day. For one, its Edge browser now includes tab previews. This isn't a novel concept (hi, Opera), but it'll be immensely helpful if you have loads of tabs open and don't want to play a guessing game. Also, Microsoft's Flash crackdown is in full effect: Edge now blocks untrusted Flash content as a matter of course, and you'll have to click to play it.
The blue screen of death is going green for Windows testers
If there's one color guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of Windows users, it's blue. But as one Twitter sleuth has discovered, the iconic and always alarming "blue screen of death" is going green, and not because Microsoft is feeling festive. The new crash screen was spotted in a recently leaked preview version of Windows 10 (build 14997, to be exact), which isn't expected to be formally released until early next year. Microsoft's Matthijs Hoekstra has confirmed the color change is specific to test builds released through the Windows Insider program, which makes sense. Where bugs and crashes are reported, Microsoft will immediately be able to distinguish between problems with consumer Windows 10 builds, and those found on early, less stable preview builds.
Skype translations now work with calls to phone lines
Skype's live translations are no longer limited to fellow internet callers. If you're part of the Windows Insider Program, you now have access to a Skype Preview release for PCs that will translate calls to conventional phones, whether they're cellphones or landlines. If you need to contact a hotel where no one speaks your native tongue, you might have a chance of holding a conversation. The recipients get a notice that Skype is recording and translating the call, so they have an opportunity to hang up if they're particularly concerned about their privacy.
Windows Insiders can send and receive texts on Skype for PC
Windows Insiders who still miss the experimental Messaging everywhere feature may want to get the latest version of Skype Preview for PC and Mobile. Microsoft has updated the app to be able to send and receive text messages on Windows 10 computers, so long as Skype Preview is the default messaging application on their Windows 10 Mobile devices. The new version shows both IMs and text messages in a single view for each contact to prevent clutter, as well.
Windows 10 won't let you share WiFi passwords any more
Remember Microsoft's WiFi Sense? One of its cornerstones is the ability to share password-protected WiFi networks with contacts, saving them the hassle of logging in when they visit. Unfortunately, though, there weren't many people enamored with the idea. Microsoft has pulled WiFi Sense's contact sharing in its latest Windows 10 Insider preview build after noting that it wasn't worth the effort given "low usage and low demand." It'll remain intact on slower Insider builds and regular Windows 10 releases for now, but it should disappear for everyone when the Anniversary Update hits in the summer.
Microsoft's Edge browser is clamping down on Flash, too
"Adobe Flash isn't responding." It's the message you can feel coming as soon as your browser grinds to a halt and you abandon all hope of salvaging what you were working on. Well, if you're a developer that's part of the Windows Insider program and have grabbed Windows 10 build 14316, you're living in a future where the aforementioned nightmare scenario sounds less likely. Microsoft is changing how its Edge browser handles Flash elements by disabling all but those that it says are central to the page you're viewing, like games or Flash-based video.
The next Windows 10 update is all about Cortana
Cortana has learned three languages in the latest Windows 10 update, which is available today for Insider members in the program's Fast ring. Cortana now supports Spanish (Mexico), Portuguese (Brazil) and French (Canada) languages, each with its own specialized flair. "Cortana is fond of pasteis which is a common food found in many regions across Brazil," Microsoft's blog post reads. "And in Mexico, we added local flavor to reflect the accent and language of the country."
Windows 10's new preview program is for cautious types
As nice as the Windows Insider program is for getting a peek at upcoming features, it's not for everyone -- even the "slow" ring can be risky on a device you depend on. Microsoft has a compromise you might prefer, however. It's introducing a Release Preview ring that lets you stick to a polished Windows 10 release (desktop or mobile) while getting early access to updates for hardware drivers, Microsoft apps and the operating system itself. You'll still be ahead of the curve, but not so far ahead that you're likely to run into showstopping bugs. If that sounds like the right blend of caution and cutting edge adoption, you can choose the ring today.
