Microsoft releases new preview build for Windows Insiders

Microsoft has released a new preview build for Windows Insiders, to test the features it may roll out with the next Creators update, which is expected to launch sometime next year.

The preview build will only be available to users who have signed up for the Fast Ring of the Windows Insiders program. Fast Ring is the first phase of beta testing. If there are no issues with this version of the preview build, it will be released to Insiders on the Slow Ring which is the second level of beta testing.

Windows Insiders are PC users who have signed up for early builds of the Windows operating system, which were previously available only to handful of developers.

The first major highlight of the new build is the highly awaited Timeline feature. It changes the way users go back to their previous activities on another PC or smartphone. So if a user was reading an article on Edge browser or working on a Word or Excel file on the office PC or an Android smartphone, he doesn’t have to scroll through multiple web pages or word file to get back to any of the tasks on the home PC. The Task View will now show all the past activities over the day with the time when the task was closed, allowing users to resume the task they want to go back to instantly. For tasks older than a day, user can search the Timeline by typing the keyword.

To access timeline open Task view by pressing Windows logo key + Tab

To make Timeline more interesting it has been integrated with Cortana. Now users will get suggestions from Cortana about tasks they were working on last on another device and might want to get back to.

The other major highlight is the Sets feature, which takes multi-tasking to whole new level. Inspired by the tabs feature in web browsers, which allow users to move from one webpage to another instantly, Sets works by converting any Microsoft program they are working on into a temporary homescreen. Users can open and access other programs from it. So if a user is working on Word document and want to go Google Drive or a web browser for reference, they don’t have to minimise the Word file and go to their apps separately. Sets allow users to open multiple programs from the same Word program by clicking on the + icon to open them as new tabs.

Microsoft has added a data management page, similar to the one available on Android smartphones. This will help users see how much data they have been using on WiFi, Ethernet or cellular connection (a number of notebooks have built-in SIM slots and support 4G networks. User can restrict apps from accessing cellular data when they are running in the background. To keep a regular tab, user can pin a live data tile to the Start menu.

The new build will allow users to take full advantage of Precision Touch Pads, which is available in Surface book and a number of new Windows 10 notebooks. Users can now use gestures such as pinch and zoom or two-finger panning, to get the same sort of experience that they get on a touch screen device. So users can zoom on a location in Bing Maps using the touchpad, instead of clicking the on-screen icons.

For an improved My People experience, the new build will allow users to rearrange contacts by dragging and dropping them in the taskbar. Also, users can now have up to 10 contacts pinned to the taskbar at a time. As of now, Windows 10 users can have up to three contacts on the taskbar. Pinning the contacts on taskbar allows users to find their go to contacts for sending an email or making a Skype call almost immediately.User can enable the feature in Settings > Personalisation > Taskbar.