Microsoft Windows 10 Preview Build 15007: the pleasure and pain of being a Windows 10 Insider
Microsoft is finally rolling out new Preview Builds of Windows 10, to Insiders in the fast ring. The delay was reportedly caused by the need to resolve an issue that would have caused users to have to reinstall Windows 10 completely, in order to upgrade to newer builds. This would have been a big downer on Insiders, mostly due to the fact that Preview builds have been stable enough to convince a few to run them on “daily driver” PCs as well.
Last week, Preview Build 15002 gave us a pretty interesting hint at some of the exciting features we can expect in the official Creators Update, which will include themes (and possibly a theme store), and numerous improvements to Cortana, Edge, and the overall Windows 10 experience, which also includes some pretty interesting Windows Hello features, like Dynamic Lock, which unlocks windows 10 when users veer off and on their laptops and desktops, using facial recognition, and possibly other proximity detection methods.
This week, Microsoft has rolled out Preview Build 15007, which solves some of the issues brought up by the previous build, while adding a few features as well.
Microsoft Edge has gone through some radical changes and improvements compared to its very first inception. The latest additions include the ability to share open and saved tabs, which is something that users may get into, as it offers a comparatively smarter and faster way to “bookmark” web documents.
Speaking of new feature, Edge is at last falling in line with competing browsers like Chrome, by adding the ability to run downloaded applications without having to save them first, which saves time when downloading drivers, quick utilities, and other temporary items.
Edge has some unique features to it, like Web Notes, which allows to scribble over a web page with a stylus, and save the end result as a note in OneNote for future reference. This feature has also been enhanced with more color options and a slider to set the thickness of the marker in use.
Text scaling is another welcome addition, one that allows users to zoom into web pages in a similar way as they would on their phone, with a “pinch to zoom” method that eliminates the ugly defacing of websites whose elements don’t scale well when zooming in.
The Snipping Tool is getting a minor, but much needed update too, with the implementation of a keyboard shortcut that allows to take a screenshot, without having to interact with the Snipping Tool’s interface. Simply press Alt+N, or Win+Shift+S, the latter of which might be more effective when other applications that use the same shortcut may take over Alt+N’s behavior.
If you happen to own a device with Windows Hello-compatible hardware, like a facial recognition camera, an iris scanner, or a fingerprint scanner, Microsoft is starting a Windows Hello Enrollment program, for those who would like to test the latest improvements and features to the Windows Hello experience with biometric hardware.
What is it like to be a Microsoft Windows 10 Fast Ring Insider?
Given a strong commitment to exploring and testing unreleased features of an operating system in constant evolution, and an attitude positive enough to deal with hundreds of issues, some minute, and other flat-out crippling, without losing one’s mind, being an Insider is actually one of the most rewarding experiences a Windows user can have.
Preview releases of Windows 10 have gone through countless trials and tribulations, but all that work yields plenty of reward, when considering how many great features we have seen added to the latest consumer's version of Windows 10.
Cortana has grown considerably, allowing users to control their PC’s in ways that couldn’t be done before.
Windows Ink is also an exciting area of the Windows 10 experience, where users can test their creativity, through the use of a stylus, fingertips, and other accessories that Microsoft is working to integrate, towards the final release of the Creators Update.
Microsoft Edge, the browser designed to put the long-dreaded Internet Explorer out of its misery, may still have a way to go before users warm up to it, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Microsoft continues to improve its new Web browser on important fronts, such as security and stability.
Windows PC users, thanks to Windows 10, can also worry less about malware and bloatware, as PC manufacturers can no longer force users to put up with customized versions of Windows loaded with resource-heavy, annoying “premium content”.
These are just a few of the reasons for Insiders to stick around as far as they have been and will continue throughout Windows 10’s growth and evolution as a completely different operating system.
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