Windows 10 - REVIEW

The latest build of Windows 10 is available to insider testers now. If you have a compatible Lumia Windows Phone you can even try out an early version of the mobile Windows 10.

The final version will ship as soon as this summer 2015. Microsoft announced today that Windows 10 will start to roll out on July 29, in almost 200 markets around the world. Previously, Microsoft at Microsoft's re-born WinHEC conference in Shenzhen, attendees were told that Windows 10 will roll out in 190 countries and 111 languages.

Kevin Turner, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft had said in late 2014: "By next late summer and early fall we'll be able to bring out this particular OS (operating system). That's the current plan of record," according to Reuters. This means Windows 10 is slightly ahead of schedule, and the upgrade will be ready to go in late July or August. We will bring more details of the UK launch as we have them.

At Build 2015, Microsoft said that Windows 10 will launch in several staggered events from summer onwards, each geared toward different devices with PCs coming first. "The way to think about it will be a launch wave that starts in the summer with PCs, and fills out over time as more devices come online," said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of the operating systems group at Microsoft. There's still not a confirmed date for any of these launch events, though Belfiore said that Microsoft is still on track for this summer.

"You should expect [the] phone, HoloLens, Xbox, and Surface Hub [launches] will be staggered," Belfiore explained, because of the complexity of coordinating hardware and software launches.

Although Microsoft was present at CES, it scheduled a Windows 10 event in Redmond back in January in order to "talk about the next chapter of Windows 10". Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore, Phil Spencer and Satya Nadella all presented.

How to reserve Windows 10

So, how do you get your hands on a copy of Windows 10? Windows has organised a reservation service for Windows users to guarantee that they get Windows 10 on launch day. How will it work? Automatic download of course! 

If you’re currently running either Windows 7 or 8.1, you should see a notification pop up in the lower-right corner of your screen informing you that Windows 10 is coming and that Microsoft is offering a limited time free upgrade. If it doesn’t pop up, have no fear – click the small Windows icon in your task bar and it should appear.

The icon should appear if you’ve got Windows Update enabled, but if you don’t, there’s another way to register. You just have to navigate to the Control Panel and click on the Windows Update menu.  

Click on “reserve your free upgrade” in the app window and enter your email address to confirm that your registration has been approved. Once the OS is released on 29 July, you should receive a notification that allows you to schedule the installation time at a time that suits you. The update should’ve already been downloaded in the background. 

Installation time may vary between computers, but Microsoft claims that it could take as little as 20 minutes on a high spec machine – so we estimate it’ll take around an hour for regular PCs. At least you don’t have to wait for the download first!   

It’s worth noting that you’ll still be able to download and install your free copy of Windows 10 without reservation, but you won’t have it pre-downloaded in the background.  

What about Windows Phone 10?

Windows 10 will run on phones, tablets, laptops and PCs. It will not be called Windows Phone 10 on smartphones: it will be Windows 10 Mobile. The Technical Preview was made available in early February, and Gabriel Aul, the head of the Windows Insider program and point man for Microsoft's Windows 10 technical preview program, confirmed the launch of another Preview on April 10. 

While Microsoft has dramatically increased the number of phones that Windows 10 previewsupports, there's a small piece of bad news: the Lumia Icon and its international variant, the 930, won't be part of the update.

New features in Windows 10

Perhaps the biggest news about Windows 10 is that it will be - in Microsoft's words, "One product family, one platform, one store". For the desktop version of Windows 10, there will be no more 'duality', as Microsoft's Joe Belfiore put it. That means no more split personality between modern apps and the 'old' desktop.

Windows 10: why is it called Windows 10?

During the short briefing in San Francisco when Microsoft unveiled Windows 10, it made it clear that the next version would be very much unified across all types of devices with screen sizes from 4 inches to 80 inches. It confirmed that the next version of Windows Phone - after 8.1 - would be 10 and said, "This product, when you see the product in your fullness I think you'll agree with us that it's a more appropriate name."

When questioned about ARM-based Surface tablets, the answer was, "we're building the software to update vast majority of devices out there." However, it has now become clear that Surface tablets won't be upgradeable to Windows 10.

Microsoft's Terry Myerson summed it up with, "Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows, unlocking new experiences to give customers new ways to work, play and connect. This will be our most comprehensive operating system and the best release Microsoft has ever done for our business customers, and we look forward to working together with our broader Windows community to bring Windows 10 to life in the months ahead."

Windows 10: What's Bill Gates got to do with it?

The co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft has been working with the company on a project called Personal Agent, which is in essence an advanced personal assistant.

"One project I am working on with Microsoft is the Personal Agent which will remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to," he told Reddit. "The idea that you have to find applications and pick them and they each are trying to tell you what is new is just not the efficient model - the agent will help solve this. It will work across all your devices."