Windows 10 may arrive earlier than expected. Previous info had us marking July,29th on our calendars, but Microsoft is testing candidate builds for both computers and phones. Now, Microsoft may go through a number of candidates before ironing out all issues, but the builds currently in testing reportedly look promising.

They are undergoing the review process and a decision should be made soon. There was an impression that Windows 10 Mobile, the smartphone version, will launch later than its computer twin, but now it sounds like both versions are going hand in hand.

@j1cordingley @AndreAramis254 We have candidates for both PC and phone builds that look promising. Reviewing issues and deciding soon.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) June 23, 2015

The Mobile version has been available as a Technical Preview since mid-February. Since then it has become clear that all WP8-running Lumia phones (and non-Lumia ones) will get Windows 10 though those with 512MB RAM will have some limitations.

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Today, Microsoft announced today that Windows 10 will be officially Available in July,29th. The company has finished polishing the release and it's now ready to be released.

Windows 10 will introduce universal apps, Cortana, Microsoft Edge browser to replace the Internet Explorer, new Office 2016 included in Windows 10 for free, Xbox Live app and integration, new multimedia apps, among others.

Also as a surprise from Microsoft today, if you have a Windows 8-running PC or slate, as of today you can notice a new Windows icon next to your clock. It will allow you to reserve your Windows 10 update FOR FREE and will download it for you the minute it becomes available.

VIA

While PC users are waiting for the Microsoft Windows 10 release, new information comes from Russian leaker WZor, who has already provided us with plenty of accurate details about Windows 10, but everyone should still take it with a pinch of salt until Microsoft actually confirms the roadmap for its operating system.

Microsoft Windows 10.1

With Windows 10, Microsoft will finally give up on shipping stand-alone releases for Windows in favor of rolling yearly releases, so the company will switch to a continuous update model that would bring improvements and new features to users at a faster pace.

Следующая версия Windows 10.1 будет выпущена в октябре 2016 года, ровно через год после ПОЛНОГО релиза Windows 10 в октябре этого года!

— WZor (@WZorNET) May 8, 2015

The naming system for Windows will also be changed, so the upcoming update due in 2016 is expected to be called Windows 10.1, according to WZor. It's not yet clear if Windows 10.1 is actually the official name of the Redstone update we first heard about earlier this year, but there's no doubt that 2016 will bring us a major update for Windows 10.

If this plan goes through, Microsoft might ship a big update for Windows 10 every year, so Windows 10.2 could see daylight in 2017, followed by Windows 10.3 in 2018, and 10.4 in 2019.

Source [Twitter] - VIA

Today, during Windows Build conference, Microsoft has finally announced what it's going to call its new Web browser for Windows 10. This has been known so far as Project Spartan, but its official name will be "Microsoft Edge".

Edge will be the default browser in Windows 10, although a version of Internet Explorer will also be in there just for compatibility's sake.

Microsoft Edge will work with Cortana in Windows 10, so for example you'll be able to say stuff like "Hey Cortana, open youmobile.org", and that will happen for you in Edge. The New Tab page has been redesigned and it uses Cortana too, showing you favorites, a search bar, featured apps, news stories relevant to you, weather info, stocks, and sports.

Extensions built for Google Chrome will be able to work in Edge with very minor modifications, it turns out. The same should be true for Firefox extensions too.

Edge Intro [Video]

For a lot of people Windows 10 sounds like the a dream come true. The net installment of the popular OS promises universal apps across all hardware platforms and versions and perhaps even more exciting compatibility with every Windows Phone 8 handset out there.

Things looked even better after the US tech giant announced its plans to captivate the Chinese market by offering legal upgrades to both genuine and non-genuine Windows installs. Another piece of the Windows 10 puzzle has surfaces today, courtesy of a leaked China presentation and it could potentially show a slightly darker aspect of the upcoming OS.

The information has to do with "Secure Boot" the feature that once enabled, prevents unauthorized installation of other operating systems on the device. It has been around for quite some time, but, unlike with previous Windows versions, where Microsoft has allowed and in some cases even required OEM's to make the setting user-adjustable, Windows 10 will be a lot stricter on the matter.

With the new OS, Microsoft will no longer prevent OEM's from permanently enabling "Secure Boot" on their personal computers, which could potentially mean that a lot of new laptops and even some OEM desktop builds might not allow users to install anything but the Windows 10, supplied by the manufacturer. This, of course means no dual booting, no Linux, no Hackintosh, basically no actual freedom to exploit the hardware you own and have paid for.

And while the decision of whether or not to lock "Secure Boot" on a PC is entirely up to OEM's and could shift either way, things are really looking bad for Windows 10 on mobile devices. Microsoft will reportedly mandate all manufacturers, producing Windows powered phones, tablets and similar mobile tech to have "Fast Boot" permanently enabled. This could be a major hindrance to the software modding and developer community and once again, kind of locks you out from the hardware you legally own.

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