Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview: Cortana, New Start Menu, More
Two days after showing off Windows 10’s latest features—and slightly ahead of schedule—Microsoft (MSFT) released the latest Build 9926 to its Windows Insider beta evaluators, the first Technical Preview since the vendor offered Build 9879 in mid-November.
Build 9926 includes many, but not all, of the new features Microsoft showcased at its Jan. 21 event, including Cortana on the desktop, a new Start menu, Continuum to toggle between input methods, a new Settings app, easier wireless audio and video connection, new Photos and Maps apps, Windows Store beta and the new Xbox app.
“The gap between 9879 and 9926 is the longest you should expect to see with the program, because of the holidays and the need to add and stabilize feature payloads,” wrote Gabe Aul, Microsoft Operating Systems Group Data & Fundamentals Team lead, in a blog post.
Microsoft said it altered or added a number of features in the updated Windows 10 build based on user input/feeback, including support for more languages. In addition, the new Windows Update UX in the Settings app provides a progress bar for preview build downloads, the previous ALT+TAB design has been mreged with the Task View, and users now have the option to pick the default folder when opening File Explorer.
The vendor also noted some bug fixes, including one in which the keyboard lights didn’t work when Caps lock/Num lock/Scroll lock is toggled.
Some known problems still remain:
- After installing the new build, users may see a boot selection menu each time they reboot their PC.
- Xbox Live-enabled games that require sign-in will not launch correctly.
- Battery icon shows on lock screen of PCs without batteries.
- Tiles on the Start menu show truncated app names.
- Remote Desktop has some painting issues that result in tiled pixelation.
- Connected Standby-enabled devices, such as Surface Pro 3, may experience shorter than expected battery life.
- In Cortana, reminders can’t be edited and more complex reminders might not get created.
- The Music app will disappear if minimized within 16 seconds of launch.
- Occasionally, the Start Menu will fail to launch.
“As with the last builds, we may release updates to fix some of the most prevalent issues and others may be fixed in subsequent builds,” Aul wrote.
“Next month, we’re excited to extend the Windows Insider Program to include Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones as well as PCs, and we’ll share more information about how that will work as we ready our first build for broad availability,” he said.
