New Windows 10 Mobile Technical Preview

 adds app store, universal Office, and more
 
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In 2015, we wave goodbye to Windows Phone, because Windows 10 is going to arrive on your PC and your phone. Windows 10 is already here for your computer — and we’ve got all the details you need — but smartphone owners have to wait a little while longer to receive the new software.
In the meantime, we’ve even done a hands-on review of the Technical Preview, whichyou can read here. Plus we’ve gathered all the details about the new features, apps, and games included in Windows 10 on your Windows smartphone below.
Updated on 08-05-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added news of which Lumia phones will be first to get upgraded to Windows 10.

These are the first Lumia phones on the update list

Microsoft has revealed the first smartphones it’ll update to Windows 10. The list appeared on the official Windows 10 Mobile preview page, stating the Lumia 430, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 540, Lumia 640, Lumia 640XL, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, and Lumia 930 will “receive a free upgrade when available.”
There’s no date attached to the launch, but it may coincide with the announcement or release of Microsoft’s rumored new Lumia flagship phones, the 950 and 950XL, expected sometime in September or October. If your Lumia phone isn’t on the list, then don’t despair just yet, Microsoft may confirm more in the future.

New build 10080 adds Windows Store and many apps

Microsoft used its Universal Windows Platform code to make a new app store for its phones. The store looks an awful lot like the one you’ll find on your PC, if it’s running Windows 10. You can browse and buy apps or software through the beta store with credit, gift cards, and PayPal. The carrier billing service Microsoft mentioned at its Build conference isn’t available yet, but it should come soon.
Related: Candy Crush Saga will come on all Windows Phones
In the store, you can also buy Movies and TV shows right now, but music remains unavailable. However, the new music app is now available, and it gives you access to the music you’ve got on the phone, as well as the songs stored on OneDrive. The overall look of the app has been streamlined, too. Microsoft added a video previewing app, as well, which lets you see all the movies and shows you have.
Finally, the camera app, Xbox app, and universal Office apps are included in the new build. You can read all about it on Microsoft’s website.

Universal apps, including Office, on your phone

Microsoft will make a variety of universal apps for use on the phone and the PC. For example, Office, with Word, Excel and PowerPoint will be included on all Windows 10 phones. Described as a “nearly no compromise experience,” by Joe Belfiore, Office for touch devices on Windows 10 will work the same on your phone as it does on your PC. Although you can’t test Office yet, the Outlook app is out in the latest preview. It lets you delete mail with a swipe to the left, or flag it with a swipe to the right. Now, Office is finally available on the Technical Preview build 10080. You can download the apps from the beta app store.
Related: Read our hands on with Windows 10 for phones
Windows 10 Mobile PowerPoint_iTechnoList.blogspot.com














     In Word, an app bar will slide up at the bottom of the screen, where all the formatting commands, collaboration actions, and review tools are shown. This will be repeated in PowerPoint, and recent documents will sync across devices and services like OneDrive. Transitions between slides in PowerPoint are hardware accelerated for smoothness, and the app will support Miracast for wireless streaming, along with wireless printing.
Microsoft is writing a new version of Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar for Windows 10 touch devices. It’ll use the full Word engine, and contain all the same functions and formatting tools as the word processor. Outlook will use the same engine on both the phone and the PC, and actions such as a swipe left for delete and swipe right to flag will instantly sync. The Calendar on your phone will also look identical (and be identical) to its PC counterpart, with color coded categories showing up in real-time.
Although the details are vague right now, we know gaming will be a more connected, seamless experience on Windows 10 Mobile smartphones, thanks to the Xbox One console also running the new operating system.

Windows Insiders can download the Windows 10 Technical Preview now

Microsoft’s Engineering General Manager Gabriel Aul tweeted that the Windows 10 Technical Preview arrived on February 12 for Windows Insiders to test. The latest update is live and can be accessed via the Windows Insider app. If you’re registered as a Windows Insider and your phone is on the approved device list — which now includes many Lumias and the HTC One M8 for Windows — simply follow these steps:
  • Join the Windows Insider Program by signing up on this page
  • Register to receive over the air updates
  • Builds will go straight to your phone once they’ve been vetted by Microsoft
  • The built-in Windows Feedback app lets you send problems and suggestions
  • Updates will keep coming until the final build comes out to all
  • You can restore your phone to an older version of the OS at any point
Although there’s a long list of known issues in almost every build, there are always many new features added.
You can find more info about the new build on Microsoft’s website. There’s still no news on the update’s release date to the general public.

Some phones with 512MB RAM may get some Windows 10 features

At this point, Microsoft has yet to issue a full list of devices that will support the Windows 10 preview for mobile. One enterprising Twitter user asked Microsoft Engineering General Manager Gabriel Aul if Windows 10 will work on Windows Phones with just 512MB of RAM onboard. Aul answered that some devices will low RAM will be supported in the first preview for Windows 10.

He didn’t say which devices in particular will be included, nor did he clarify whether support will be extended to those devices beyond the first preview. Shortly thereafter, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, Operating Systems Group Joe Belfiore tweeted that the company is working hard to get Windows 10 on Lumia phones with less RAM, but cautioned that some of these devices may not get the Windows 10 feature set.

In his tweet, Belfiore references one of the most popular Lumia phones ever made, the Lumia 520, which just happens to have 512MB of RAM. It’s unclear which features these low-RAM Lumias will receive, if they get the Windows 10 update at all.

Cool new apps and a refreshed design

Microsoft only gave us the briefest of sneak peeks of Windows 10 on mobile devices at its launch, but now that the Technical Preview is available, we know a lot more about it. Among the new features are an  audio recording app, new context menus, keyboards that you can center to the right or left side of your screen, an updated alarm app, and a fuller notification menu.
Most of the changes are slight, but they should help make the overall Windows experience smoother on smartphones. The keyboard positioning feature in particular will come in handy with the larger Lumia phablets. There’s also a new notification center, quick action settings, and other key design improvements in core apps. Voice controls are also much improved and you can now ask Cortana to search for things for you.

A seamless, cross-platform experience

The rest of what we know about Windows 10 comes from what Microsoft told us during its launch. It’s still in development, which means more will be revealed over the coming months, but the driving force behind it is to produce a seamless user experience across any and all Windows devices. For example, the Action Center will sync with your PC, allowing you to dismiss or expand single items, which will instantly show up on other devices. Slide in the main menu, and Microsoft has put all the most recently installed apps at the top, making everything much easier to find.
Windows 10 Phone Release_iTechnoList.blogspot.com
The WordFlow keyboard will be tweaked, and can be moved around the screen to make one-handed use more natural, particularly on large-screen smartphones. Messaging will also get an overhaul, supporting IP messaging systems and integrating with Skype.

New Photo app with Windows 10

Windows 10 will feature a brand new, universal Photos app, so it runs across the phone and the PC in the same way. Images will be formatted to appear correctly on all devices. It’ll work using OneDrive, and photos uploaded from your phone will sync locally on other Windows 10 hardware. Cleverly, the Photos app will aggregate all pictures and remove duplicates or multiple images from burst mode shots, for a simple, single view.
An Auto Enhancement mode will be activated by default, offering features including red eye removal and brightness adjustment. Manual settings will let you adjust all these settings. An Albums feature automatically makes collections from your pictures, and the same feature will eventually organize your music.

Project Spartan is the future of Internet Explorer

Spartan is the next version of Internet Explorer. The big new feature is that Cortana will be built into the browser. She will pop up when you use the search bar, offering answers to searches like the weather, plus she’ll access the same database on your preferences to personalize the browsing experience.
Microsoft will add a reading mode to the core experience, which will across all other Windows 10 devices, and save content including PDFs offline. Webpages have been given a markup system, where comments can be added to sites. These pages are “frozen,” but the links remain live, and can be saved in One Note, offline, or be shared through social networks or email.
This is an early look at Windows 10 on smartphones, and Microsoft promises to show more universal apps tuned for all screen sizes over the coming months. Microsoft Insiders who beta test the new software can now try out Project Spartan on their phones.

Previous updates:

Updated on 5-15-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added list of new features in latest Technical Preview build 10080.
Updated on 4-17-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that Office apps may reach the Technical Preview before April ends.
Updated on 4-15-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added new features from latest Technical Preview update and refreshed information in the post that was out of date.
Updated on 2-12-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that Microsoft’s Windows 10 Technical Preview is now available to Windows Insiders.
Updated on 02-10-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that Microsoft will hold a press event at Mobile World Congress on March 2, where it may reveal new phones and more Windows 10 news.
Updated on 02-09-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that only some features from Windows 10 may be supported on select 512MB RAM phones.
Updated on 02-06-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added news that Windows 10 may support some 512MB RAM phones and added leaked screenshots of new features.
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