Here it is. A leaked build 9901 of Windows 10. Before next month's expected consumer preview, we're able to see where Microsoft is going with the new features.
Will it be the Queen of the desktop, or the Rachel Potter of Week 3? [You're fired -Ed.]
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers gotta lotta water in their brains.
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment.
Can anybody find Brad Chacos somebody to love?
Build 9901 is packed with refinements and new features, such as a central Xbox app, true Cortana virtual assistant integration, and tweaks to the taskbar and search options.
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“How could we be upset about lots of people wanting to try our new stuff?” Gabriel Aul, an engineering general manager at Microsoft...tweeted after being asked about Build 9901. ... Microsoft hasn’t always been so ambivalent [it was] said to have fired two employees for leaking Windows 8 ahead of its launch. MORE
Each morning, he gets up, he dies a little. Tom Warren can't barely stand on his feet:
Microsoft is currently readying an updated preview of Windows 10 to focus on the consumer features. ... While the company plans to detail those improvements [in] January...build 9901 has leaked...to provide an early look.
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[It] shows how Cortana sits at the top of the search interface for Windows 10, responding to text and voice commands. ... There’s also a new Xbox app [which is] a gateway to the entire Xbox ecosystem, including...achievements, friends lists, activity feeds, and the Store. ... Microsoft has also added new animations to the TaskView switcher [and is] updating the settings app with a familiar view. MORE
And Michael Andronico takes a look at himself in the mirror and cries:
Microsoft is about a month away from unveiling Windows 10's key consumer features, and a new leak shows off just what those features could be.
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The [Xbox] application looks similar in style and functionality to the Xbox SmartGlass application. ... The software displays the user's friends list on the right, with a news feed in the center that shows friends' recent activity. [It] has the same sync icon on the upper right as SmartGlass does, meaning you may be able to interact with your Xbox One from your desktop.
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Other possible Windows 10 changes found in the leak include a universal Windows Store that combines applications, games, music and video, as well as a cleaner settings menu [and] could be shown prominently at Microsoft's consumer-oriented event on Jan. 21. MORE
Paul Tassi, what you doing to me? I spent all my years in believing you:
Microsoft has been pitching Cortana as a ”personality infused” version of Apple’s more-robotic Siri, actually hiring Halo voice actress Jen Taylor to reprise her role out of the game. ... While users may not be falling in love with her...it’s certainly interesting to see how an OS can evolve in a way similar to what we’ve seen in so-called science fiction lately.
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Perhaps even more important is when Cortana might make it to the one Windows device that she was born to be on, the Xbox. ... This ties back to my recent idea to have the Xbox One shed the Kinect as a peripheral entirely and simply integrate a voice command-receiving mic. ... There have been no indications this is happening, though maybe I’ll be saying I told you so at E3 2016. MORE
But Zac Bowden just can't get no relief:
Cortana is one of many features which appears to be on schedule for a reveal in January. In this build, her UI is far more polished. ... Apps throughout the operating system are being updated too.
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This is our first proper look at the direction in which the Modern UI is going, and it's definitely a positive one. MORE
And Finally: Today's Earworm…
Rachel Potter works hard
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings, who curates the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites… so you don't have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.
