Current version of windows 10 mobile. Windows Insider User Guide. Design changes

Admittedly, Microsoft made a real move when they decided to launch a beta testing program for mere mortal users. In addition to a ton of bug reports, the Insider Hub also contains a ton of suggestions for adding new features. Company representatives can only select the best proposals and promptly implement them into the OS code.

About two weeks ago I installed the older Windows 10 as the main system on my PC and was very pleased with it. I will describe my impressions about it in a separate article. A desktop OS is one thing, but a mobile OS is a completely different matter. Or not? Perhaps soon we will carry full-fledged PCs in our pockets? To the delight of all of us, it turned out to be in my bedside table, and it would be a real crime not to run a test version of the new OS on it - Windows 10 Mobile. Let's see in which direction the tiled axis is now moving.

Installation and update

In desktop Windows there are several so-called update circles:

• Canary + Alpha (for developers)
• Fast Updates
• Slow Updates

“Fast” is the first of the branches that is available to ordinary users who register for testing and it contains the most advanced developments that can function more or less. This results in a lot of bugs, and the overall stability of the OS depends only on the location of the stars in the sky, the phase of the moon and your karma. Updates come on average every couple of weeks.

“Slow” - updates come once every month or a month and a half, but the whole thing works quite adequately, and bugs occur mainly in small things. This is the assembly that most people who want to join testing should choose.

But bad luck, only quick update branches are available for Windows 10 Mobile. Which means expect surprises. And the first ones lie in wait for us at the very beginning of the journey. detailed instructions the update installation has not changed since the test builds Windows Phone 8.1 and is available here:

The installation time for new software has changed. In total I had to about two hours drink tea and entertain yourself with videos of cats while the phone lying next to you groans over the installation of Windows 10 Mobile - Insider Preview. During the process, the device will reboot several times. Your data and applications will not be affected. It would be ideal to do it anyway Hard Reset(factory reset) after the update, but I gave up on this idea.

Add tiles and make a mess

The first thing that catches your eye, oddly enough, is the reduction of all interface elements and the availability of another column of small tiles on the desktop. That is, now you can fit as many as six pieces in a row. In addition to changing the background of the tiles, you can now also select the background background. Previously, only white and black fills were available, but now you are free to give free rein to your imagination and choose any picture or photo from the gallery.

By the way, the desktop received an adult name - the Start menu, which becomes known from the settings menu.

The Windows 10 Mobile app menu has also changed. The fonts are cleaner, and the alphabetical index is no longer as noticeable as before. The search button has been transformed into a whole line, which will kindly accompany you as you scroll through the long list.

I personally was very pleased with the increased animation speed - just a fraction of a second, but still nice. Does the recent applications menu no longer look gloomy and take up the entire screen area? and the panel Windows notifications 10 Mobile has learned to display more switches and collapse them when necessary. Added FLASHLIGHT! and a quiet hour mode, which, unfortunately, is not available yet.

Here you are laughing, and before for a flashlight separate application I had to install it and then search for it for a long time and tediously at the right moment.

The settings (parameters) menu has been transformed, now it looks more like a logically ordered set and is not the former sheet of a couple of dozen incomprehensible items. Each block of settings can be placed as a shortcut on the desktop. And for those who are afraid of getting lost, a search is provided.

I will not describe the points in detail, and everything is clear. The developer menu makes it easier to debug applications on a live device, and Find My Phone in some ways copies the functionality of similar services for iOS and Android.

And the last key innovation of Windows 10 Mobile is one-handed mode, like Apple iPhone. Double-tapping the Home button will turn off the top half of the screen completely and turn the bottom half into a useful work area.

Hardware, Software, Nightmare!

You can read about the hardware of the test device in the review, under the heading "Nightmare!" we'll get to it a little later, but here's software Let's go into more detail. The key changes are as follows:

• New dialer and SMS application
• New app store
• New office suite (now separate)
• Almost full-fledged Outlook
• Microsoft Edge
• Keyboard
• Minor changes to existing services

The new app for making calls is a small revolution in the world of tiled smartphones. My prayers were heard and Windows Phone now has T9 in the dialer, allowing you to search for contacts by letters and numbers right away! A menu of favorite contacts has appeared, and there is also a slight redesign. The latter also affected the SMS application.

The new application store, also known as “Store (Beta),” is another revolutionary step in Windows 10 Mobile. As far as I understand, it is no different from that for the desktop version of Windows 10, that is, it is the same application. Unlike the dull and confused monster that was before, new shop offers more adequate categorization of applications, access to a personal archive of programs, and an improved system for rating applications and reviews. Kind of Google Play two years ago.

The office suite has been split into separate components available in the Beta Store and includes Word Preview, Excel Preview and Power Point Preview. The applications turned out to be quite weighty, each taking up more than 100 megabytes of space.

On the one hand, all three programs received a qualitative leap in terms of functionality and ease of use. The office has become much more convenient to use on-line big screen smartphone. Zooming and gestures are supported.

All parts of the office can work with your OneDrive storage and open documents from a memory card quite well.

On the other hand, on competing platforms, alas, there already exist more advanced applications both in terms of convenience and functionality, and the currently reviewed package of applications from Microsoft will be available to the masses only in September, with the release stable version Windows 10 Mobile.

Symbiosis mail client and organizer - Outlook has received an updated design and now works normally with third-party accounts. The calendar correctly synchronizes events from Google Calendar.

The mail client supports deleting and archiving letters using swipes, but here’s how to properly configure push from a couple Gmail mailboxes- I still haven’t figured it out.

Internet Explorer transformed into Microsoft Edge. The browser remained the same poor in terms of settings, but the tab management system was improved and, subjectively, the speed of loading pages increased slightly. New browser can synchronize tabs, bookmarks and passwords with a desktop browser.

The keyboard application has a small virtual joystick that acts as arrows and allows you to quickly navigate through large texts.

And now a little about other innovations.

Everyone's favorite assistant, Cortana, is now available when you press the search button, but is not yet functional. Many applications have received a redesign in favor of flat forms and acquired menus that drop down on the right. Some little things were added, such as a voice recorder.

During a call, you can now switch to video conference mode. Quick replies in the form of messages have also been added.

Don't run ahead of the locomotive

I have described everything so beautifully for you that you will undoubtedly want to feel everything in your own skin and, most likely, are already downloading the coveted update to Windows 10 Mobile. This is definitely not worth doing, and even less so on your main smartphone. In order for this material to turn out without swearing and too strong emotions, before writing the article I had to inject myself with a huge dose of sedative. Why? Everything is damn buggy, as befits a test version from the “fast” branch. The old and new application stores constantly conflict with each other, the smartphone heats up no worse. The "contacts" application does not launch at all; the smartphone is connected to the PC through a rather feeble pump. It is impossible to upload photos or screenshots anywhere, updated application"Photos" generates a lot of errors. Some software does not work at all on Windows 10 Mobile.

But if even my warnings have not discouraged you from experimenting and you want, like me, to feel like pioneers in the world of tiles of the future - set aside a separate day and go ahead. I provided instructions on how to get the update at the very beginning of the material. Now, I’ll describe how to switch back to Windows Phone 8.1.

1. Download the utility to PC
2. Delete the "Insider Preview" application on your smartphone
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC using a USB cable
4. In the utility, select your device and press the desired button
5. Wait about 20 minutes
6. Profit!

The recovery tool will download the latest available firmware image to Windows based Phone 8.1 (about 1.5 GB) and will automatically flash your device (about 10 minutes of time). That's all, you again have a fully working, stable smartphone and dreams of the speedy release of Windows 10 Mobile with a bunch of new goodies.

Personal impressions of Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview shows the main directions in which Microsoft's mobile platform will develop in the near future. There are rumors that the final version will be released in September of this year. The key problems with mobile Windows for me personally remain the same:

• Few good apps, although the most necessary things are already there
• Terrible, terrible, just no good multitasking and RAM Management
• Weak sharing mechanism within applications
• Inability to turn off animation
• The need to make compromises despite the fact that competitors (iOS, Android) have already had everything in place for a long time

The new version of the OS will be a qualitatively new breakthrough in terms of convenience and usability of smartphones running it. A very beautiful desktop with interactive tiles, an application menu with a search function, nice fonts, convenient search Contacts from the dialer and the updated market are a very good start. The last word, as usual, remains with the developers third party applications, because they are the ones who determine the success of any mobile platform, which has been proven in practice more than once.

The new system is life from scratch. Everyone needs a reboot from time to time, even giant corporations like Microsoft. Historically, the Redmond company has suffered defeat after defeat when releasing its mobile devices, which, it turns out, no one needs. After many attempts, wanderings, collaboration with Nokia, the company decided to make drastic changes: Windows Phone was abolished, and a new era of Windows 10 Mobile arrived. In fact, Windows update 10 Mobile is a new system, with a new vision, but at the same time retaining the principles that have migrated from iteration to iteration.

Many resources, including Russian ones, carefully monitor the development of Windows 10 Mobile. W3bsit3-dns.com, Mobile-Review and others spoke positively about the system and predicted a positive future for it. However, let’s take a closer look at what awaits the owners of modern gadgets running on the new platform.

Installing and setting up Windows 10 Mobile

In principle, the process of installing and configuring the system does not take much time, and it cannot be called labor-intensive. However, there are a number of things you need to know before installing Windows 10 Mobile.

The system can be installed officially on a number of initially supported gadgets. You can install a test build. You can install a hacked system on unsupported gadgets.

Apart from those gadgets that come with new firmware on board, there is a whole line of Lumia phones that can be upgraded. The update will not come automatically, as they say, “over the air,” so you will have to use the Upgrade Advisor utility. The utility is supported by all intermediate smartphones from Lumia 430 to Lumia 1520. After the update, no initial setup is required, all data will be transferred automatically. Still, for the phone to work better, it is worth resetting the settings to zero (when installing a major update, some files may be damaged). That's all you need to know about Windows installation 10 Mobile. Builds for developers can be obtained by registering on the Microsoft website, and then installing Windows application Insider.

Interface design

Despite the fact that the update is of such a global nature, visually the system has not undergone major changes. After basic setup Windows 10 Mobile will be completed, the user will see the familiar “tiled” interface. With the new release, the user is given more opportunities to change appearance desktop. First of all, these changes affected the wallpaper. Now the user can set any background that will cover all “tiles” and applications that do not have their own background. It is also possible to change the size and color design of each individual “tile”. The distance between interface elements has been reduced, allowing for even more content to be placed on the desktop. This is useful if you want to receive updated information from a large number of shortcuts. It looks quite bright and unusual, although confusing, at first glance. Otherwise, the interface remains the same, only instead of a black background, now the same wallpaper is used that was used on the desktop, the details have become thinner (calculated for new displays with high resolution), settings and other lists that were previously impossible to sort out have finally been organized. The list of programs has changed slightly; now newly installed applications for Windows 10 Mobile are placed at the beginning of the list, in the “Recently added” field. However, on programs installed in new system, is worth a separate stop.

Apps for Windows 10 Mobile

In connection with the update, external changes overtook almost all standard applications, instructions for developing programs were updated, visual elements were associated with desktop version operating system. Functional changes affected such programs as:

Another important change affected third-party applications. A tool has appeared that allows you to convert finished products on iOS and Android into programs for Windows 10 Mobile. At the same time, the developers promised seamless integration of new applications, even without interface changes, which in theory should lead to terrible chaos in the store, which can be put up with if the developers actually start transferring their projects to a new platform, but something tells us that it's already too late.

Notification curtain

One of the most important and frequently used elements of the system is the so-called curtain, which contains notifications from various programs and keys for quick access to various smartphone functions. Its design has undergone minimal changes; the same controls remain:

• Key to turn Wi-Fi on and off (also displays the name of the network to which the gadget is connected in this moment).
• Key to turn Bluetooth on and off (also displays connected media devices).
• Key to lock screen rotation.
• Key to access settings.

Below is a list of notifications, which is now grouped by the applications to which they relate. This makes them easier to sort and delete. One notification is deleted by swiping on it, a group by swiping on the program name. To delete all notifications, there is a “Clear all” button.

Among other things, expanded notifications have appeared that you can interact with without opening the application. For example, if you receive a message on your phone, by pulling the notification, you can open the text input line and reply to it without going to the messenger itself. Naturally, this function is available to developers, and they have the right to use it as they please. Twitter developers, for example, screwed shortcut keys for popular actions such as retweet and like. You can stop the alarm in the same way.

Continuum

The cornerstone of the new platform from Microsoft. This know-how is the main connecting element between the desktop and mobile versions of Windows. According to engineers from Redmond, the ideal smartphone is a smartphone that is also a computer. Instead of producing various gadgets and dragging information through the clouds, creating all sorts of “ecosystems,” the creators of Windows offer one device that can replace everything at once. The idea is this: a person who has a smartphone with Windows 10 pre-installed Mobile versions with Continuum support, can install it in a specialized docking station, which, in turn, is connected to a monitor and input means. After which the peripherals are activated, the smartphone acts as a system unit, and the end user sees classic Windows on the desktop.

The idea was always on the surface, but no one dared to bring it to life. Microsoft decided to take matters into their own hands and, together with HP, created a device equipped with the latest technology, operating in Continuum mode.

Unfortunately, such a grandiose idea is unlikely to turn out well in the short term, as there are at least two serious problems. The first is that not all smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile support this function; a solid reserve of power is required for it to work (in fact, there is only one candidate for this role and other manufacturers, including Microsoft, are in no hurry to release new solutions). The second is the system that the person behind the monitor and mouse will work with, not exactly Windows 10, but Windows RT. In this case, the user is deprived of Win32 support, and without this the computer is not a computer at all. For real professionals, ARM will never replace “adult” architecture. In the long term, we have before us a real device of the future and a system that will finally emerge from the “desktop” monopoly as a leader in the mobile segment.

Keyboard and one-handed mode

Keyboard - An amazing and powerful tool in Windows 10 Mobile. w3bsit3-dns.com and other resources that monitor the development of the platform have more than once posted tweets and screenshots in which the built-in Windows keyboard corrects terrible mistakes and completes words with one letter.

The keyboard in the new system has not changed much. The usual functions remain, such as:

• Word Flow - typing tips based on data from the system’s dictionary database, the user’s individual dictionary and experience;
• Swipe input - the ability to type text and communicate by simply moving your finger across the keyboard.

• Point for moving the cursor (joystick) - a small point has appeared between the letters Z and X, with which you can move the cursor through the text, so as not to resort to using a virtual magnifying glass.
• It is now possible to change the position of the keyboard, as well as its size. On a large display, you can move it to the right corner and slightly reduce it to make it more convenient to operate with one hand (a problem for all fans of “phablets”).

Also, for one-handed control, an analogue of the Reachability function from the iPhone was added. Now, if you hold down the Win button for a long time, you can lower the interface to the level of your finger, so that you don’t have to grab the gadget and reach for it. top part display.

Sound and ringtone settings

In principle, the sound in Windows 10 Mobile does not require any special fine-tuning. Everything works the same as in previous version. The only problem that remains is with assigning ringtones. Users are still wondering how to change the ringtone Windows Mobile 10. Fortunately, changes in working with desktop Windows (defining a smartphone as a flash drive) allow you to do this without any problems. To do this, you need to connect your smartphone to the PC, open the Phone - Ringtones folder in it and upload the desired audio file there, the main thing is that it does not have DRM protection. After this, you should open “Settings” - “Personalization” - “Sounds” in your phone. There, select the “Ringtone” option, find the newly downloaded audio file and select it as the ringtone. The system also now has a built-in ringtone maker application that can create ringtones directly on your phone.

File manager

Users have been asking Microsoft programmers for quite a long time to equip the system with a full-fledged file manager, such as is available in Android and the related desktop Windows. Initially, developers were reluctant to add such features, since the system was supposed to be in many ways similar to iOS, which lacks such features for reasons of security and simplicity. Windows 10 Mobile should have been just as simple and closed. Microsoft's error, fortunately for fans, has been fixed in latest update. A rather primitive, but still file manager, a kind of stripped-down analogue of “Explorer”. It is possible to create documents, view them without going into applications, move, copy, and so on. There is no synchronization with OneDrive; to work with cloud storage, you will have to download an additional application and import files separately.

Windows Hello

Safety comes first, so modern smartphones Most are equipped with biometric data reading systems (hello iPhone 5s and Touch ID). Microsoft went further and developed a kind of intermediary system between the scanners and the system responsible for process security. Instead of a fingerprint sensor, gadgets running Windows 10 Mobile use a camera that scans the iris of the eyes. A similar solution was used in the recently released and failed Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The recognition system does not work very well. Firstly, the phone must be quite close to the owner’s face; at arm’s length, the smartphone simply does not “recognize” the owner. Secondly, even if the phone is close to your face, it can still make mistakes, often asking for a passcode. The function is, of course, interesting, but it would be better for Microsoft to opt for a fingerprint scanner, which works quickly and reliably.

Instead of a conclusion

It's hard to sum up what's happening with the Redmond-based mobile platform. On the one hand, the Windows 10 Mobile update shows us a certain growth, the system is clearly developing, its creators have ideas and certain thoughts on what Windows will be like in the future. New unique functions appear, beloved old ones are improved, and new manufacturers of Windows smartphones enter the market. Developers have received carte blanche and can sell their programs for Android and iOS in the Windows app store without any difficulty (even without redrawing the program interface).

But something goes wrong. It is too late. The credit of trust has been exhausted. Despite all its efforts, loud statements and announcements, Microsoft cannot attract a sufficient audience. People have become accustomed to advanced systems from Google and Apple and have more than once placed their trust in the Windows manufacturer. But, alas, they were let down every time, and new platform could not give them as much as required modern man. Windows 10 Mobile is what Windows Mobile should have been 3-5 years ago. At the moment, we can only wait for Redmond to figure out how to convince the public that their platform deserves attention, but for now all Windows fans are in limbo, and it is not known what will happen next.

The future of Windows 10 Mobile has become a popular topic among fans and critics alike ever since Microsoft announced that Windows 10 Mobile development would move to the "feature2" branch and remain there. Although Microsoft has stated that the change is minor, Windows Central sources paint a different story; development of Windows 10 Mobile was separated from the rest of Windows 10 on other platforms. But why?

Microsoft has separated the development of Windows 10 Mobile from the rest of Windows 10 because Windows 10 Mobile is no longer required for what Microsoft plans for Windows on mobile devices. Sources suggest that Microsoft's next mobile device will run what the company calls internally Andromeda OS; a version of Windows that aims to be modular enough to run on any form factor and, as a result, eliminates the need for the Windows 10 Mobile edition. So Microsoft no longer needs a Windows-specific version of Windows 10, which means Windows 10 Mobile is now redundant.

This is great news, except for one important detail; Existing Windows smartphones will not receive updates to this "Andromeda OS".

Feature2 branch

According to sources, the feature2 branch exists to continue supporting what Microsoft's internal documentation calls "legacy ARM chipsets" for the next year and a half. The main goal of the feature2 branch is to continue serving mobile Windows devices 10 through 2018 with bug fixes, security updates, and new enterprise-specific features. It is also reported that Microsoft will support new UWP APIs that will be introduced in Redstone 3 and Redstone 4 on PC

The reason these APIs are "backwards" and not originally introduced is because the feature2 branch is technically Redstone 2 (but it's frozen). When Microsoft split Windows 10 Mobile into the feature2 branch, it also froze OneCore development on Redstone 2. Now, given that Windows 10 Mobile will not recreate the rest of Windows 10 development, this means that Windows 10 Mobile will support Redstone 2 for the remainder own life.

So, to compensate for this, Microsoft will support the new UWP APIs that will be introduced in Redstone 3 and Redstone 4. This means that if an application developer is targeting any new UWP APIs that will be introduced in the next couple of Windows 10 releases, these applications will continue to work with feature2 Windows 10 Mobile. This should give Windows 10 Mobile an extra boost of life in the next year or so.

It is indeed true that Microsoft continued to compile Redstone 3 builds for Windows 10 Mobile for a while, but only to continue CShell development on smaller engineering devices. However, sources said that as of last month this is no longer the case as CShell will not be available for existing Windows smartphones. It's also worth noting that Microsoft's efforts to bring new APIs to Windows 10 Mobile are only planned until Redstone 4, but that could change.

Application support won't last forever

Once the APIs stop receiving calls, Windows 10 Mobile devices will very quickly fall behind the rest of Windows 10 when it comes to supporting UWP apps. As developers begin to integrate the new APIs coming with Redstone 5, these apps will not be able to run on feature2 with Windows 10 Mobile, meaning devices like the Lumia 950 and HP Elite x3 will quickly lose support applications. Microsoft may continue to support Windows 10 Mobile with security updates in 2018.

Microsoft will continue to release production Windows builds 10 Mobile (outside of the Insider Program), and may also continue to align them with PC releases such as the Fall Creators Update. But since development has been split between Mobile and Desktop, Microsoft can choose to release mobile updates on its own schedule if it wants.

10 main features of Windows 10 Mobile

The day is not far off when the final version of Microsoft's new mobile operating system will begin to be distributed and installed on smartphones running Windows control Phone 8.1. The first to receive the update will be the owners of the most latest versions Microsoft Lumia series gadgets, and a few weeks later almost all the rest. We will tell you about the most interesting features of Windows 10 Mobile.

Porting applications

A function from the category of “what everyone has been waiting for so long” - this does not mean that programs have already begun to be ported in batches, but such an opportunity will appear. Microsoft Visual Studio now supports code written for Android, Java/C++, and iOS (Objective-C). Simply put, it will be possible to transfer code to Windows 10 even without developer intervention (Visual Studio will do up to 90 percent of the work itself).

Formally, this opens up the widest scope for activity, since in terms of the number of applications, the Windows Store is still noticeably inferior to stores from Google and Apple. However, if the functionality actually turns out to be as good as marketers say in press releases, then the Windows Store will soon be able to seriously compete with Google Play and Apple Store.

Continuum

One of the main features of the Windows 10 family of operating systems is versatility and a certain “interchangeability” of applications, which is especially noticeable in mobile version. It all works like this: you connect your smartphone running Windows 10 Mobile to a regular monitor, and you get the most natural desktop view of Windows 10 (that is, the Start menu, taskbar, and others). No, you will not be able to run executable EXE files, but applications from the store adapt to a larger screen without any problems and are fully functional.

This will be best seen in office applications (package Microsoft Office also updated, by the way) and videos/movies: let's say you start viewing and editing a document in Word/PowerPoint on some Lumia 950 on the way to work and finish right at your workplace, simply by connecting your smartphone to the desktop. It’s the same with a movie: we started watching it on a mobile gadget, but ended up watching it on a laptop or on a big screen. Of course, all this is true in reverse direction: started working on a desktop - and continued on a smartphone.

Installing third party applications

This feature is disabled by default in Google Android, is finally officially coming to Windows 10 Mobile. This is expressed in the form of the appearance of a separate “For Developers” tab, enabling the “Developer Mode” item on which will allow you to install sideloaded software in Windows Store applications. There is no need to register your smartphone via special program, that is, the new function can be used by all users without exception.

Of course, you could try to install sideloaded applications earlier using third-party file managers (for example, if the manufacturer did not allow installation from a store in your region), but this did not always work and you had to install a third-party file manager (and not even every them was suitable for this).

Microsoft Edge browser

It's no secret that Internet Explorer has not been popular for a long time, not to mention its mobile version. However, for Windows Phone there are normal browsers comparable to at least Google Chrome for Android, simply not.

For the new OS, the default browser has been completely redesigned and is similar to that of desktop Windows 10. It now has convenient management of pages and bookmarks, supports the Continuum mode described above, and has a new NL engine (which has already made it the fastest Internet versions Explorer according to various independent tests), there is a “Reading View”, the ability to set a bookmark on an interesting page in order to finish reading it later - and a lot of other interesting features. The new browser is also integrated with Cortana, and there are plugins; however, no one says that they are all free.

New and updated standard applications

Almost all standard applications will be updated both in terms of design and in terms of capabilities. And many others were added to them. For example, branded HERE maps Maps has received a new design and many features, including the long-awaited voice navigation.

Plus, many small details have been introduced to improve the user experience: new animation when unlocking the phone, a modified notification center, etc.

We can’t help but mention the updated Groove Music app, which is similar to the one on Android and iOS: it’s a personal music library with playlists, streaming subscriptions, and the ability to play music from OneDrive. You can upload covers, share music with your friends, and the app is finally unified across desktop and mobile.

By the way, the app store does too new design, which is now similar to those of Google Play and Apple Store. Which only benefited him.

Convenient work with notifications

Now you can reply to messages directly from the menu that opens in the curtain when your phone is locked. It looks like this: you get a message notification in the menu under the Bluetooth and other Airplane Mode switches, and you can immediately write a response without unlocking your smartphone (yes, like on an iPhone).

This saves a lot of time, since you no longer need to go to the application to work with the answer. short messages; everything is done on the fly.

New keyboard, dialpad and calculator

The new flat key design looks more convenient in the calculator and less convenient in the Phone. And in the new keyboard there is now less chance of missing when typing, and the swipe method has not gone away.

Plus, the keyboard has a new feature: a round dot has appeared in the lower left corner between the keys, which functions as a virtual joystick. You can use this, for example, when filling out web forms: in order not to poke at the screen every time when filling out a new field, it is proposed to hold down this point, like an ordinary stick point, and move the cursor to the next field, where you can continue collecting data “without interruption” from production."

New home screen

First up is a revamped start screen that offers another option for tile placement. In addition, you can now place a background image under all application tiles: in Windows Phone 8.1, where this opportunity introduced for the first time, many of the tiles were opaque and therefore the picture looked very “torn”.

The standard system font has also been changed: it has become more contrasting. And in the settings you can now change font sizes in 10% increments for all labels in all menu items.

One-handed mode

This interesting mode is apparently intended for large diagonals. Now long press on Windows button is not involved in any way, but in new Windows 10 Mobile this action will enable this mode. In it, the screen is divided into two parts, and the user can perform operations with its lower half, which simulates the entire screen. In this mode, it is easy to reach even the very top edge, holding the device with one hand. At the same time, all applications and all functions work as if nothing had happened.

It is curious that this function is turned off by simple user inactivity for three seconds. For example, if you stop scrolling the page and just freeze in anticipation, it will be restored to full screen again.

More advanced calls

Now if they don’t answer you, then you will know exactly after how many beeps they answered you, or how long you waited on the line before the call was hung up. This is not to say that this is some kind of innovative feature, since it was already in MIUI, but just another information that you will have in your call list.

Who's new?

The list of smartphones that will be the first to receive the updated OS is small and includes 13 models: Lumia 430, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 635 (with 1 GB random access memory), Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 735, Lumia 830 and Lumia 930.

The flagship Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL are already sold with Windows 10 Mobile pre-installed.

As Microsoft stated, a new version operating system for smartphones will be completely separate from the entire Windows 10 series. This system is called Andromeda and all phones that will be released after the release of the OS will use this version. Modern gadgets will not be able to support Andromeda OS.

Support for the current edition of the phone OS will continue for the next year and a half. After this period, Windows 10 Mobile will no longer be updated or supported by the manufacturer.

The Andromeda operating system will take into account any form factor, which will allow it to be installed on any device that can support it. However, all Microsoft smartphones released before the release of the new OS will not be able to use it.

Also interesting is the fact that Google is developing new products in the field operating systems with the same name as Microsoft - Andromeda. This operating system will be designed to combine operating systems Android systems and Chrome.

New branch of development – ​​Feature 2

Feature 2 is a new branch in the development of Windows 10 Mobile, which is completely isolated from its entire series. It was this separation from the main project that caused the current version to be closed.

This version of the software will be supported by developers for the next year and a half. Error fixes will be released for the current version of the OS, new features will be introduced for specialized versions, and a security service will be supported.

The developers also announced the backporting of a new multitasking platform for the current version of Windows 10 Mobile, which is used on more modern platforms, for example, Redstone 3 and 4. This innovation is needed for Feature 2 since it is similar in functionality and capabilities to Redstone 2. Such support will be provided until the end of the Windows 10 Mobile project.

Backporting for an ongoing software modification is necessary to ensure that smartphones that support it do not become obsolete prematurely. This will allow them to use modern applications and applications that will be released during the remaining period of OS support. After graduation new development support for the old ones will cease, and phones like the Lumia 950 or HP Elit x3 will quickly become obsolete.

Mobile version of Windows

The latest edition of the operating system for smartphones is the usual Windows 10, but adapted for devices with a display diagonal not exceeding 9 inches. The entry of this OS was in February 2015. Main feature This version made it possible to connect the phone to a desktop computer with full synchronization, as well as use the smartphone as a full-fledged system unit when connecting a monitor, keyboard and mouse to it.

However, Microsoft was unable to occupy its significant niche in the market for smartphones and operating systems for them. At the moment, almost all mobile devices run on Android or iOS software. Windows accounts for only 0.4%. At the same time, 80% of Microsoft smartphones use Windows Phone 7, 8 or 8.1, and only 20% support Windows 10 Mobile.