News
Latest Windows 10 Mobile Test Build Makes 'Edge' Browser Official
- By Gladys Rama
- June 29, 2015
Microsoft recently released build 10149 of the Windows 10 Mobile technical preview, replacing the old "Spartan"-branded browser with the new "Edge" name.
Build 10149, which became available to "Fast Ring" Windows Insider participants on Thursday, now includes the official Edge branding for Microsoft's new browser, which will run alongside Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 10 desktops, tablets and smartphones. Spartan, which was the code name for Edge, debuted on Windows 10 Mobile in an earlier test build that was released in April. Build 10149 is the first test build to use the official Edge branding.
According to Gabe Aul, chief of the Windows Insider program at Microsoft, the branding change means testers should anticipate a few inconveniences. "The result of the naming switch from 'Project Spartan' to Microsoft Edge means that the Microsoft Edge app has a new app ID. This will cause any favorites, cookies, history and Reading list items that you had saved in the Project Spartan app to be lost after upgrading from a previous Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview build," Aul said in a blog post.
Besides the branding change, the new build's browser also includes the ability to view Web sites in either desktop or mobile view. The address bar has also been moved to the bottom of the screen, in response to testers' feedback, Aul said.
Other improvements, according to Aul, include:
- User experience improvements, including better responsiveness.
- For U.S. testers, the ability to send e-mails through the Cortana personal assistant.
- "Final stage" improvements to the Cortana Notebook feature, including the ability to schedule quiet hours.
- An updated Photos app available through the Windows Store beta.
- The ability to manage the camera roll, including photo uploading, through the OneDrive app.
"We've been using this build internally for a few days and have really loved it. It is faster, more stable, and more polished overall," Aul said.
However, there are a number of known bugs with this build. Microsoft has temporarily removed the Insider Hub, for instance. Testers whose Gmail accounts are linked to their phones might experience messaging problems. The PIN keypad may not display, preventing users from unlocking their phones. Check Aul's blog here to read the full list of bugs and suggested workarounds.