Microsoft's new Windows 10 mobile test build now includes Spartan

[RV_]

Microsoft is delivering a second preview build of Windows 10 Mobile to testers, one which includes the company's new 'Spartan' browser, and new Mail, Calendar, Phone and Messaging apps.

 

For the other Windows 8/8.1 Phone (WP 8.1) owners here there is some real news today. The reason I sold my Surface almost immediately after getting it was it did not have Outlook on it and did not work with my IMAP email in any way. My current Lumia 822, now on Verizon prepay plan with 1 GB of LTE for 45 bucks a month, is still running 8.1 Denim as I did download that early. The changes in the just released build of WP10 almost has me ready to take the plunge. Denim (8.1) already has Cortana but it still frustratingly does not have profiles for Bluetooth or PC USB wireless keyboard use. While those additions have not been announced but are promised in WP10, I think I will wait to download it until they do.

 

But things like a mobile install of the new Spartan browser is very tempting.

 

Excerpt:

 

"As promised earlier this week, Microsoft is making available to its Windows Insiders testers the second test build of its Windows 10 Mobile release for Windows Phones on April 10.

 

This build will work with nearly all the existing Lumia Windows Phones, thanks to a partition-stitching fix the team developed. However, this new test build still will not support the Lumia Icon or Lumia 930 phones, due to screen-size/scaling issues, officials said. It also doesn't yet support Windows Phones from any of Microsoft's phone OEMs.

 

Today's new build does include a test build of Microsoft's "Spartan" browser, which will be the only browser supported on Windows 10 Mobile devices. In this test version of Windows 10 Mobile, however, Spartan exists side-by-side with IE 11.

 

Microsoft also recently released a new test build of Windows 10 Desktop that included Spartan, too -- though on the versions of Windows 10 for Intel-based PCs, laptops and larger tablets, Microsoft will continue to include Internet Explorer 11, too, for backward compatibility reasons.

 

New test builds of universal versions of Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar are included in today's Windows 10 Mobile preview. It also includes new Phone, Maps and Messaging apps, as well as a redesign of the People App, according to today's blog post about the release.

 

Microsoft has removed the Office Mobile hub in this build in anticipation of releasing the new separate Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote universal apps for phones "in the coming weeks." That means testers won't be able to use any of these files in this build."

 

For the rest of the article including the embedded links to the other stories and a revised release schedule go to the full article here: http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsofts-new-windows-10-mobile-test-build-now-includes-spartan/?tag=nl.e540&s_cid=e540&ttag=e540&ftag=TRE5369823

 

[StarDreamers.us]

Thanks for the update.

 

Safe Travels!

[RV_]

YW,

Folks are surprised when I show them my Windows Phone (WP) 8.1 with Office and all the near Apps on it. I love "Here" the nav program on it as well as the excellent cameras that Nokia's Lumia line I known for. Mine's a Lumia 822 before Nokia went away and became just Lumia under MS' ownership. Nokia went from the 80% market share they had until the debut of the Android and iPhones less than a decade ago, and then lost the rest of it in the worldwide financial recession. MS made a great move in salvaging what was left of Nokia and slimming it down to the Lumina division. I think lot of folks will be trying out WP10 in the coming year. I played with a WP 7 and it was a totally different animal than the new phones starting the transition with WP 8/8.1. I hope they continue to gain enough market share to secure their unified Win 17 ecosystem. I love the way my MS account shreds as I like between devices, and auto sets up new devices as I choose for all of them, phone, tablet PCs, and Desktop PCs. I even got the Qi wireless charger stand for it which works great! MS is catching up slowly.