Category: Microsoft Windows

One of the key elements for Windows Insiders who are testing the Preview of Windows 10 for Phones is providing feedback.  Feedback is the only way that the next generation of Windows on mobiles will improve both from a stability and performance perspective but also a general user experience view.  Therefore providing feedback is key.

Fortunately Microsoft has made it very easy for you to provide feedback on any app no matter which one it is or what you happen to be doing on your Windows Phone.  It’s a great way to collect instant information – including screenshots – and also eliminates any excuses not to give that feedback.

Now that we are a few hours post the release of the Technical Preview for Windows 10 for Phone I have had a chance to play a bit with the update and wanted to share my thoughts.  Overall I have to say I’m impressed.  There are issues with this beta, no question there, but overall I’ve found that it is stable on my Lumia 635.  I’ll cover my initial thoughts in distinct areas so you get a feel for my experience with it as you wait to install it on your phone as a Windows Insider or wait for the general release later this year.  Those areas will include the install/update process, general look and feel, performance and any issues I’ve encountered.

Before I get started I want to discuss the announcement of Technical Preview being available for Windows 10 for Phone and the general dissatisfaction that seems to be prevail on Twitter and sites with the way Microsoft rolled out the Preview.  I think most of the issue comes with the fact that it was offered only on low to mid-range Lumia devices.  The Lumia 1520 and Lumia 930 for example did not get access to the update. Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul explained in a blog post that it effectively comes down to the OS partition on these devices:

Some context on why we chose these and not higher end phones like the 930/Icon or 1520: We have a feature that will be coming soon called “partition stitching” which will allow us to adjust the OS partition dynamically to create room for the install process to be able to update the OS in-place. Until this comes in, we needed devices which were configured by mobile operators with sufficiently sized OS partitions to allow the in-place upgrade, and many of the bigger phones have very tight OS partitions.

What I read into that is within the next few weeks we will see an update to the Windows 10 for Phones Preview which will have this Partition Stitching that will allow for the higher end devices to see the update.  The problem of course is that during the Windows 10 event in January, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore showed Windows 10 for Phone running on a Lumia 1520.  Everyone, including me, expected it to be available first round on these higher end devices.  Indeed I don’t think this would have been question nearly as much as it has been had this preview been shown on a Lumia 635.

Right now the devices that can run the Windows 10 for Phones Preview are as follows:

• Lumia 630
• Lumia 635
• Lumia 636
• Lumia 638
• Lumia 730
• Lumia 830

For those with other devices the Preview will be coming as Microsoft slowly expands the number of supported devices, particularly after they get this Partition Stitching element built.

For now, let me give you a flavor for what you can expect on from Windows 10 for Phones when it is available on you device.

Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, has been around since the mid-90s and is a way for websites like this one to publish a “feed” to subscribers providing the highlights of posts so users don’t necessarily have to visit the site until they want to do so for a particular article.  In fact, you can subscribe to the RSS feed for ClintonFitch.com right here and most of the Windows and Windows Phone dedicated sites have their own feeds.  Likewise, RSS readers or aggregators have been around a long time as well.  These app allow you to gather all of your RSS feeds into one place so you can read them in one place at one time.  When it comes to Windows and Windows Phone, one of the best readers out there is NextGen Reader.

NextGen Reader leverages Feedly where you actually configure the RSS feeds and presents them in a modern, easy-to-read and navigate app for both your Windows 8.1 PC and tablets as well as a Windows Phone 8.1 version that is equally as solid.  The app allows you to quickly and easily read your feeds, supports the Modern Windows 8.1 app design and on the Windows Phone version, supports Live Tiles and pinning on your Start screen.  NextGen Reader is as close to a universal app as you can get in the current Windows 8.1 world (true universal apps are coming in Windows 10) but it does mean that once you buy the app at $2.99, you get the app on all your Windows powered devices.  If you are looking for a good RSS/News reader for your devices, take a look at this one.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.

NextGen Reader for Windows Phone – $2.99 (Universal App) – Download Now

NextGen Reader for Windows – $2.99 (Universal App) – Download Now

Microsoft has rolled out a minor – and I mean minor – update to Skype for Windows Phone that brings some tweaks to the UI and other fixes.  The update, version 2.28.0.39 for those keeping score at home, is available now and after updating, I personally haven’t seen any changes in the video-meets-messaging-meets-social networking app.  Regardless, if you use Skype on Windows Phone you should grab the update as it does have general fixes in it which would improve performance on certain devices. Skype Qik for Windows Phone also saw an update which brought a key new feature to the video sharing app.

Skype for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

Skype Qik for Windows Phone – Free -Download Now

The personal assistant Cortana that is built into Windows Phones running Lumia Denim and is now in the Windows 10 technical preview continues to get mini, behind-the-scenes updates.  The latest update now brings the ability to read out loud instant answers to your questions.  To this point, when you asked a question like “What time is it?” Cortana would simply display the current time.  Now when you ask the same question, it reads out the time based on your location.

The popular Runtastic app for Windows Phone has seen a major update this morning bringing an improved user experience along with a lot of new features.  The update, version 3.0.3.0 for those keeping score at home, is available now and many of the updates are focused on the Pro version of the app (which also saw the same updates).  Runtastic is free while Runtastic Pro is $4.99.

Runtastic for Windows Phone – Free – Download Now

Runtastic Pro for Windows Phone – $4.99 – Download Now