Details are beginning to emerge of the next iteration of the Windows 10 Technical Preview, which is expected to be released in the next couple of weeks. Microsoft has already released four official builds of Windows 10 since the operating system was first unveiled in October, and the slightly overdue fifth release is expected imminently.
It will include Microsoft's new web browser, codenamed Spartan, which was announced at January's Windows 10 event but wasn't ready to be included in Build 9926, which was released a couple of days after the announcement. Spartan is a stripped-back browser that's designed to run across everything from phones to full-blown desktop PCs, and will replace Internet Explorer as the default browser in Windows 10.
Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft's technical lead for Windows universal apps, Kevin Gallo, told attendees that Spartan will be ready for testing when the new build emerges, according to a report on The Verge. He demonstrated the browser running on a Windows 10 phone, suggesting it's ready to be tested across a range of hardware. Currently, only a limited number of Microsoft Lumia handsets are capable of running the Windows 10 Technical Preview.
New visuals
Meanwhile, leaked screenshots have emerged showing the continued evolution of the Windows 10 user interface. The screens, published on the Russian website Wzor, show a new set of desktop icons for the Control Panel, Recycle Bin, Network menu and others. The icons have an almost cartoon-like feel, and are in keeping with the visual refresh that we've seen in more recent builds of Windows 10.
Otherwise, Microsoft appears to have stopped fiddling with the design of the desktop, after several iterations of the Start button and the Cortana/search bar. It's perhaps an indication that Microsoft has now settled on the Windows 10 look, and is instead focusing on getting things right under the hood in preparation for launch in the autumn.
Microsoft is reportedly hoping to have the operating system completed by June, so that it can get the code to PC manufacturers in time for the back-to-school market in the autumn.