Microsoft is ramping up the speed at which Windows Insiders will receive new builds of Windows 10 but with the latest release, build 10041, there are still new features coming that are not present in this build. We know these features are coming as they were either announced by Microsoft or have shown up in builds at WinHEC, or were announced way back in January but have yet to materialize.
Spartan
This is the obvious feature that is still missing and if you want to get a closer look at it, you can check out our hands on post here.
This new browser is heavily anticipated as Microsoft will begin moving away from Internet Explorer in favor of Spartan which means that if it flops out of the gate, it will be hard for the company to recover. By most accounts, this is the most anticipated feature that has yet to arrive but it should be here soon, possibly in the next build that will be released to Insiders.
With new reading modes, proper extension support, and a lightweight experience when compared to the older IE browser, Spartan has a lot to offer and Microsoft is placing a huge bet by making this the default browser in Windows 10.
Deeper Skype integration
Back in January at the Windows 10 event, Microsoft announced deeper Skype integration for Windows 10 and even showed off a mockup of what the experience will look like. So far, the Skype features have not shown up in the Insider builds.
The mockup shows an integrated and unified messaging experience for Windows 10 and while we wait to learn more, this blog post offers the only known information to date.
Xbox Streaming
Microsoft made a big splash with gamers at its January keynote by showing how games can be streamed from your Xbox One to your PC/tablet but so far, this feature is not yet supported, although we do know it is coming. For gamers, this will be a key reason to upgrade to Windows 10, as it will allow you to take your gaming to other rooms of your house.
The Xbox app on Windows 10 has already been updated several times with each new build of Windows 10 and each update adds a bit more functionality. The biggest barrier to turning on game streaming likely has to do with the Xbox running Windows 10. So far, Microsoft not has provided a timeline for when your console will be updated with this new OS which means your guess is as good as ours about when the functionality will be released.
Look for more information to surface at E3 which takes place in mid-June.
UI updates
At the WinHEC conference last week in China, several unreleased builds of Windows 10 were shown off that had updated icons and refinements to the taskbar too.
These minor tweaks will likely make it into future releases of Windows 10 and will add to to the cohesive nature of the UI, meaning that icons have parity across the ecosystem and are of the same style and theme. But, UI tweaks are generally done all the way up until release date as they are relatively easy to implement so don't get used to anything you see right now as it may change before the final build is compiled.
Cortana
Microsoft's personal digital assistant will be updated in future builds of Windows 10 too. With a new UI and animations coming down the pipe (shown above), expect to see improved functionality too, like the ability to launch apps by saying their name.
Seeing that Microsoft has been consistently updating the features with Cortana on the phone, and the platform uses the same backend, it's safe to assume that the assistant will be updated frequently with new features during the preview period of the OS, and once Windows 10 is released this summer.
Windows Hello
This is a new security feature for the OS that provides a way to log in with your face using a few new bits of hardware that traditionally don't ship with a laptop or desktop. With the updated cameras, this feature creates a secure way to login to your PC without the need for passwords.
This is a feature coming to Windows 10 but is not currently included in the Insider builds. Seeing as this feature is a security mechanism designed to replace passwords, you can bet that Microsoft is heavily testing the functionality to make sure that it cannot be exploited before letting it be used by consumers outside the Redmond offices.
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These are only a handful of the enhancements Microsoft will likely include as it continues its push towards RTM. While there is still plenty of time to update other elements of the OS (like the icons), with Summer only a few short months away, the window of time for dramatic changes to the OS is quickly closing.
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