Windows 10 Preview Build 10041 now available to Windows Insiders

After weeks of waiting for a new Windows 10 build, Microsoft have finally pushed out a new build of Windows 10 to Windows Insiders. This is build number 10041 and unfortunately, doesn’t include the new Project Spartan browser which was expected to be included in this release. Microsoft say that Windows Insiders are getting this build less than 48 hours after the majority of engineers in the Operating Systems Group got as the company are trying to push more builds to Insiders on a faster pace.

The 9926 build of Windows 10 Microsoft released introduced the XAML based Start experience to users and today that’s been updated with many new changes. Start now has transparency and the All Apps button is easier to use on touch. The ability to drag and drop apps from “Apps” or most used apps and pin them to Start has also been added in 10041.

Virtual Desktops is a brand new Windows 10 feature and in 10041 you can now drag a window to a Virtual Desktop. You can also drag a window to where the “+” icon to create a Virtual Desktop and move the window into it in a single step. The taskbar has now also been filtered only showing the apps running in one particular desktop.

Cortana on the desktop is now available in China, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK. January’s build introduced Cortana on the desktop in the US. Cortana will search for apps, settings and files as well as the web and help you as your digital assistant like on Windows Phone today. No major changes in this build for Cortana except market expansion.

Clicking on the Network icon shows this new network fly-out from the taskbar for quick access to network settings. This allows easy connectivity to wireless networks and Microsoft say there’s more work to do here as the UX isn’t just complete yet.

The Live Tile for the Photos app now includes photos from OneDrive in the recent photo rotation. RAW format files is now also supported. Microsoft have started adding keyboard shortcuts to the app with tab, arrow keys and page up/down in this build.

The handwriting panel for text input has been updated with handwriting panel recognition for short text entry. Auto displayed on tap in edit control with pen, positioned near the edit control, provides recognition candidates, suggestions and next word predictions.

Microsoft are also experimenting with a new Windows 10 lock-screen. Starting today in the U.S. and France users will notice some tips and tricks show up in their lock-screen. Users will also continue to see rotations of imagery on their lock-screen and different users may see different items as Microsoft experiments with the idea of different content.
The Windows Feedback app now how the ability to filter feedback and suggestions versus problems. You can also quickly add “Me too” to items in the search results view. The Insider Hub now tracks how many missions you’ve completed and how often you’ve responded for requests for feedback. Microsoft says they’ll continue to deliver news, missions, alerts and the opportunity to win prizes.

As with every build, this one has fixed issues from the previous build while other issues have cropped up. That’s why for now, this build remains exclusive to the Fast ring will be introduced to the Slow ring as the major bugs patched. What about the next phone build? Microsoft is saying it’s coming soon but it’s not just ready yet. The next phone build should support more devices this time of round.

Many may remember Microsoft saying the next Windows 10 build would include Project Spartan. Due to the change in how they distribute builds, Microsoft haven’t been able to include Spartan in this build. Initially, they probably planned the next build wouldn’t have come out yet as they had to change how they distribute to the fast ring. So are you downloading the new bits to your PC? Let us know in the comments below.

^Alan (@BeetleComet)