Windows Phone is no more!For the first time full-blown Windows will run on phones, tablets and PCs. Here's everything you need to know about Windows 10 running on mobiles, including UK release date, price and new features.For more details on Windows 10 seeWindows 10 UK release date, price, featuresandHow to watch Microsoft's January 21 Windows 10 event and live blog.
Windows Phone 10 or Windows 10 Mobile?
Actually, it's neither. For the first time we'll see full Windows 10 running on phones. Yep, you'll get exactly the same operating systemon your phone, tablet, laptoporPC.
Microsoft will tailor its OS to devices 8in and above, however, with a slightly different version for Windows phones and small screen tablets. We'll talk more about this below. Also see:Best Windows Phones 2015.
Windows 10 for devices with smaller than 8in screens: New features
Joe Belfiore showed a very early build of Windows 10 for devices with 8in screens or smaller at its 21 January Windows 10 event. The OS was seen running on a Lumia 1520. It will roll out to Insiders in February.
He said the Start experience is quite familiar for users running Windows Phone in the past, and will be a great companion to the PC. In the background is a full-bleed background image, and when you swipe in from the right to reveal the app tray you find recently installed apps at the top of the list.
The Action Centre has some new features and is now synched with the PC. You can expand action buttons and dismiss single items shown as notifications.
Settings, as seen on the desktop, has also been streamlined and implemented as a universal app, removing the confusion of having both a Control Panel and Settings menu.
Belfiore also demonstrated how Microsoft wants to evolve input and messaging. The Word Flow keyboard has been improved, letting you pull it over to the right and doing shape writing with one hand, and you can use voice input to reply to messages by clicking the microphone button. The speech system is sophisticated enough to recognise names, hashtags and insert punctuation.
It has also built-in support for IP-based messaging services and Skype.
Universal apps will work with phones, small tablets and PCs, delivering everything you need for productivity. A family of apps will be built into all Windows 10 devices, bringing continuity as you move from device to device. Belfiore showed a preview version of Office on the phone, and said full Word, Excel and PowerPoint will be included on phones - complete with Office Ribbon. A recent documents list will be available to all Windows 10 devices.
With hardware acceleration you'll be able to give proper presentations from your phone.
New versions of Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar will also be found on phones, tablets and PCs. The full Word engine will be built into the email app. Swipe gestures let you flag or delete messages.
Photos also work exactly the same way as they do on the desktop, with both phone and PC using exactly the same code. It will automatically enhance photos and remove duplicates.
Project Spartan is the new web browser Microsoft is developing for Windows 10. It will come to the phone eventually, but won't be in the first builds.
Spartan has a new rendering engine that's compatible with today's web. It has a new look and feel, and it has three significant features that will make you more productive on the web, according to Belfiore.
First is the ability to mark up articles on the web with comments before you share them, either through touch or with a keyboard. Second, Spartan improves reading on the web. Its reading mode supports PDFs and can be personalised, and includes a reading list that shows up on all your Windows 10 devices. This content is then available to read offline. Lastly, Spartan brings Cortana to the browser, and can help you find the information you need faster.
Windows 10 for phones: UK release date
On 21 January Microsoft unveiled an early build of Windows 10 running on mobile phones, which will roll out to Insiders in February. The software is the same for all devices with 8in screens or smaller. The final version of Windows 10 for phones will be ready at the same time as Windows 10 for larger-screen devices. We expect it to be here in late-July/early August.
Windows 10 for phones: UK price
For the first year Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for all devices running Windows Phone 8.1. Thereafter Microsoft pledges to keep your smartphone up to date and secure for the lifetime of the device, viewing Windows 10 as a service rather than a software update.
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