Windows 10 Phone Technical Preview Going Live!

[CAM]

Certain phones only, info in blog link.

 

Announcing the first build of Windows 10 Technical Preview for Phones

[Arthur]

Only six Lumia phones supported.

 

Preview of Windows 10 for phones is now out for (some) phones « Ars Technica

 

To get access to the new release, you need to do two things. First, install the Windows Insider app and sign in to it. Second, make sure your phone is on the list of supported models. Currently, that's quite a limited list: the Lumia 630, 635, 636, 638, 730 (though not the 735), and 830 are supported... and that's it. The very low-end Lumia 5xx and 4xx models aren't included, nor are the high-end 9xx, 10xx, 13xx, or 15xx devices.

 

On their official blog post Microsoft explains the limited set of hardware: older, high-end handsets will need to have their storage partitioning changed. A future version of the preview will do this, but the current version apparently cannot. The supported models are known to have the right partition layout from the factory, so avoid this problem.

[CAM]

It's an earlier than normal preview so I wouldn't expect it on all handsets. Not sure why people are complaining!

[LeMarchand]

Is anyone doing this then? Would be interested to hear what the differences are between this and "full on" W10 (and if they're much more than UI choices, why the heck no-one can put the full OS on a handset yet).

[Arthur]

Would be interested to hear what the differences are between this and "full on" W10

 

A first look at the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones

 

Windows 10 and Windows 10 for phones make Microsoft's Universal Apps—programs that run with minimal modifications on tablets, smartphones, PCs, and one day even the Xbox—an essential part of the platform, with even core operating system features now being written as Universal Apps. We're still waiting for many of them to materialize, one of the most important ones that we can use is Settings.

 

Settings were a weak point of Windows Phone, with a long list of options presented in no particular order. In the new app, they're still in no particular order, but there is at least an attempt to impose a grouping structure on them, with a two-level hierarchy.

 

This preview is clearly quite early, with many parts unfinished and un-updated. We don't have the new Office apps, or the new integrated Skype and SMS app, for example. I think it's rather too early to use this on a daily driver phone. Picking up a cheap Lumia 635 at the Microsoft store is, for the time being, perhaps the best way to kick the tires of the preview.

[LeMarchand]

A first look at the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones

 

So we're still talking about Apps rather than programs, but with a very similar GUI to Windows proper?

[Arthur]

So we're still talking about Apps rather than programs

Yeah. A metro universal app like Microsoft's new Spartan browser will be able to run on both phones and desktops.

 

Phones and 7" tablets running Windows 10 won't have a desktop or be able to run old-style Windows programs.

[LeMarchand]

Yeah. A metro universal app like Microsoft's new Spartan browser will be able to run on both phones and desktops.

 

Phones and 7" tablets running Windows 10 won't have a desktop or be able to run old-style Windows programs.

 

Well that's a bit rubbish then. I want a full OS on my phone, dammit! I really don't see why no-one has done this, or at least done one that actually exists. Surely there can't be too much of a technological problem? I'd be happy using a stylus if necessary, or having something larger than normal. That Ubuntu phone is looking more tempting...

[Zezima]

that hair is so unnatural...

[MartinT]

WP8.1 is a beautiful OS, focussed on productivity and with great integration with Office and OneDrive. I can't think of one good reason why you'd want a desktop on it.

 

Bring on WP10, I'm waiting for it to come to the Nokia 930.