What's new in Windows 10 mobile

This material is difficult to write correctly. After reading more than a dozen reviews of mobile Windows 10, I came across approaches that differ radically: from the usual description of menus and their capabilities to an in-depth analysis of system codes from the point of view of developers and programmers. I wanted to approach this review a little differently, from a different perspective. Describe not only what the user receives today, but also where the development of the system can go, what ideas are embedded in it and what they can ultimately result in. One cannot exist without the other, and therefore, in addition to descriptive, specific points with illustrations taken from Lumia devices, I will need to deviate to the side and describe what is not on this platform, but is present in the modern market. Why? The answer is obvious; the Windows 10 Mobile platform does not exist in a vacuum, but competes for customer attention with systems such as Android/iOS. And only by understanding these differences will it be possible to escape the trap of the Microsoft worldview, which prefers to describe only what exists within their systems, but not pay attention to competitors.

The reasons for the appearance of Windows 10 Mobile - life from scratch for the third time

We are already living in a post-PC market, where most web browsing is done on mobile devices rather than on personal computers, be it a home system or a laptop. The irony is that one of the pioneers of this trend and the company that accurately predicted the development of events, but was slightly mistaken in the dates, was Microsoft Corporation. It never lacked visionaries, people who could predict market developments and give accurate forecasts. The problem was in executing the predictions, putting them into practice and creating a mobile version of Windows. There has always been one approach that can be called dominant within Microsoft; it has not changed for the last decade or more. The mobile operating system should be a copy of the desktop system and provide the user with a similar experience. So, when Windows Mobile appeared, users were convinced that it was ideologically the same system as on their computer; look, it even has a Start button! Many people bought Windows Mobile devices only to realize that they were nothing like their computers, were in no way compatible or almost incompatible with them, and belonged to a completely different class of portable devices. However, at the dawn of the smartphone market, the role of Windows Mobile was quite serious; this system influenced the development of Symbian, its ideology was considered by many as promising.

But Microsoft made a number of serious mistakes; having built a business model on cooperation with Chinese manufacturers who created Windows Mobile smartphones, the company began the process of destroying its platform. Noticeable unit sales, programmers who rushed to create applications - everything whispered about the success of the endeavor. But the trouble came from those same Chinese who, in a battle among themselves, gave up on quality, as a result, the platform became associated with powerful but buggy devices. The same Symbian was inferior functionally, did not develop so quickly, but was guaranteed to work. The Windows Mobile direction became a kind of cursed place within Microsoft; there was no person who could present a clear and detailed development plan. More precisely, there were too many such people, and each had their own plan of salvation. They, as in Krylov’s fable, each pulled Windows Mobile in their own direction. And the result was that the company suddenly realized that it was losing the market and could lose the race for the consumer. It was at the beginning of Android's rise, around 2009, when the system first showed its potential and it became obvious even to die-hard skeptics. And at that moment, Microsoft’s tossing began, which has not ended today, the first reset of the company’s mobile platform occurred - the appearance of Windows Phone.

By and large, Windows Phone became Microsoft's anti-crisis plan, a response to the market conquest of iOS/Android. In 2010, at a congress in Barcelona, the company showed Windows Phone as an animated screensaver on dummies of future phones; no system existed; it was to be created in the coming months. We were all shown pictures that had nothing behind them, and the choice of tools for developers and code for the mobile OS was chaotic; it was designed on the knees, just to be in time for dividing the pie in the form of end consumers. The only task set within Microsoft was to meet the deadlines; in a state of time pressure, the creation of the system could not be properly planned. The first devices of the Lumia series from Nokia had many problems, each of which was corrected as the play progressed, the most serious errors were corrected in the first few months of sales, and the “little things” were completed for about a year.

But within Microsoft, already in the first months of Windows Phone 7’s life on the market, there was an understanding that this system was built incorrectly and that the kernel needed to be reworked and a transition to source code similar to the desktop version of Windows NT was required. In the future, this would make it possible to create the same applications for different branches of Windows, with minimal differences and effort. The decision was controversial, as the company's PR and advertising for the new platform promised that users would receive updates. But instead, a year later, the market received Windows Phone 8, and enthusiasts and pioneers of the new system received version 7.5, which added external similarity to 8, but lacked key features. Many people felt deceived, since once again Microsoft reset its mobile platform and started its life from a new point.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that all these years at Microsoft, the idea that a mobile system should be similar to a desktop OS has not disappeared anywhere. With tenacity worthy of better use, the company introduced an interface into phones that few could call successful; it was unusual (Metro UI in the original name or tile), but from an ergonomic point of view, not the best.

A change in the company's management, the lack of significant success in the field of Windows Phone, the death of the tablet version of Windows RT - all these events occurred during the existence of Windows Phone 8.x. And they showed a simple thing inside Microsoft: the system that the company created is unviable without subsidies for hardware, when it is sold below cost and that is the only reason it has 3% of the world market. Billions of dollars in marketing investments, the purchase of Nokia's mobile division - nothing brought success to Windows Phone. The problems only got worse. And what was the next stage? Microsoft did what they were already used to doing - they decided to start life from scratch.

The appearance of Windows 10 Mobile is a reversal of the impasse of Windows Phone 8.x, when the system did not receive any noticeable sales, and the few developers who wrote software for it constantly felt like outcasts. There is an opinion that those who are unable to create software for Andorid/iOS can write it for Windows Phone, where the quality of the programs does not play a big role, since there are few of these programs and users are eager for them. For lack of fish and cancer, fish, as they say in our area.

Such a parameter as the cost of ownership of Windows Phone for the end consumer was noticeably higher than for Android/iOS, since in the absence of competition between programs it was possible to set any prices for them. For example, Microsoft paid for the development of an official Instagram client for Windows Phone, it was shown at one of the press conferences, and it seemed that this was the turning point when everyone would start writing for this platform. But it didn’t work out. Moreover, in 2016, the official Instagram client for Windows 10 Mobile is still in beta status! It does not have most of the settings available on other platforms, and there is no support for working with video. The best alternative product, 6tag, does not work with all filters, and to work with video you will have to pay 119 rubles. This is just a small touch that shows the state of affairs with software for Windows Phone.

Microsoft realized that they had lost the battle for the mobile device market and went into loss minimization mode. The appearance of Windows 10 Mobile is an attempt to use the key event of 2015, the release of the desktop version of Windows, which received number ten. A piece of the success of desktop Windows was supposed to give impetus to sales of mobile devices and support them until the company came up with a new plan and reset this direction once again to start all over again.

At the beginning of 2015, when they showed Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft told a very interesting thing - the system would launch later than the release of desktop Windows 10. Why? The answer was obvious - all efforts were devoted to the main product, and they would try to improve it in a short time. Starting in October, after the launch of desktop Windows 10, most programmers will move on to finalizing Windows 10 Mobile, and in a couple of months it will be brought to fruition. Even then, these words confused me; it turned out that Microsoft had reduced the priority of the mobile OS to the minimum.

But at the same time they announced the Windows Insider program, which allowed anyone to become a beta tester of the mobile system. Fans of Windows Phone perceived this as a good attitude of the company towards them, pragmatists from business - as a reduction in development costs, shifting tests onto the shoulders of end consumers. Which always leads to negative results, since testing must take place within the company, and only then can it give an adequate result.

Unfortunately, the number of innovations for end users, which were shown at the beginning of 2015 for mobile Windows, turned out to be so meager that they were dumbfounded. In my material, I described them and expressed bewilderment at how one could wait almost a year to release such an update to the market.

Already at the time of announcement, the system looked archaic, and the speed of development of Windows Phone compared to other systems was lower. In fact, Windows Phone not only remained a catching-up system, the speed of iOS/Android's separation from it began to increase; over the past five years, Microsoft has not been able to close this gap or at least reduce it.

Initially, Microsoft's plans included updating almost the entire Lumia line to Windows 10 in November 2015, then the deadline was postponed to November, and then to the beginning of 2016. This is explained by the fact that inside the company they realize that the current version of Windows 10 Mobile can hardly be called a beta version, it is unstable, has many problems and flaws, and even compared to Windows Phone 7, it has an amazing number of problems. The company could not help but release its flagships on Windows 10 Mobile; they were put into production and components were purchased for them. But at the same time, Microsoft is trying to minimize the damage from launching crude products as much as possible. Thus, the company does not distribute devices for testing unless publications and journalists agree that they will not mention the disadvantages and focus only on the positive aspects. However, no one warns Lumia buyers that the system has flaws and cannot be called out of beta.

Unfortunately, the classic situation for Microsoft is repeating itself; the company will not be able to develop Windows 10 Mobile in 2016, since all its efforts will be spent on fixing bugs and working on firmware. This means that Microsoft needs to reduce the number of phones sold as much as possible, which the company has already officially announced; the 2016 model range will be minimal and represented by several models. Eliminate hardware subsidies, since there is no longer any competition for market share, why sell a crude product that will scare away users? And preparation for life from a clean slate, which will be the Surface Phone, although the name of this product can be anything.

It turns out that Windows 10 Mobile is another, yet another page in the history of the mobile platform from Microsoft, which can be considered passing and temporary. The company is not making any serious plans for this system; to some extent, they want to quickly forget it in order to begin building the “correct” system for the new time. But many people do not know this, do not understand it and may buy a Lumia smartphone. Let's take a look at the system itself and what it offers its users today. Let's move on to a description of the Windows 10 Mobile interface.

Windows 10 Mobile Tiles and UI Features

The originality of the Windows 10 Mobile interface is hard to deny; the main screen consists of tiles of different sizes, you can choose a small square, a larger square, or a rectangle. You need to hold the tile for the icons to appear, and you can also pin the tile to the screen.

The screen has a vertical orientation, that is, the tiles need to be scrolled down. You never know how many tiles you have in total; the screen can be conditionally infinite. Considering that most of the necessary applications easily fit on the main screen, this does not cause any problems. You can place everything you need here.

Unfortunately, Windows 10 remains far behind modern platforms in the area of customization; you can't customize the color of individual tiles - only choose a color scheme for everyone. This may be confusing for those who are not familiar with the system and are used to WhatsApp having a green icon. On my phone, for example, the default color for all tiles is blue, and the WhatsApp icon is the same color.

Does this confuse people who are used to WhatsApp being green? Definitely. But this also creates certain difficulties for software developers; when advertising and promoting your application, you cannot achieve the uniformity that you expect. Why did they do this in Windows? Apparently, they thought that the icons might be too colorful. Or maybe we just didn’t have time to do it, I don’t know. But the fact remains that you won’t be able to customize everything for yourself. And the experience of other systems and the vast world outside of Windows should be forgotten - here the icons will be in the color that you chose or for you.

In the "Options" section you can also choose to show more or fewer tiles, this setting adjusts the same size. There is a choice of wallpapers and tile transparency; interestingly, compared to Windows Phone 8.x, wallpapers have appeared both on the central screen and in the application list.

Now an amazing moment that remains a mystery to me. In desktop Windows, many functions were duplicated in different menus so that the user could change a parameter in a matter of seconds. In mobile Windows, everything is not the same; to change the wallpaper or adjust the color of the tiles, you need to go to the settings (this section is called “Options”). Not very logical and not very convenient. But, apparently, the developers proceeded from the assumption that it is not necessary to adjust the color of tiles and wallpaper so often. There is a certain logic in this.

Unfortunately, switching the more/fewer tiles mode disrupts the grouping of tiles on the screen when there are a lot of them. They suddenly line up not in three vertical rows, as before, but in two. It is possible that this glitch will be removed in the future, but it looks strange, the system does not remember the previous state.

Many tiles are animated and show information, for example, the mail tile scrolls through the headers of new emails, and there is a circle with the number of new messages. This is quite simple and informative, but this approach is rather the exception. In most cases, the information is displayed chaotically and there is no system in it, that is, you cannot assess at a glance what you missed or what happened. For example, news shows headlines, changing them one after another. Something similar existed in widgets at the very beginning of the development of Android, then the system evolved, but this did not happen in Windows.

I don’t presume to evaluate how the tile looks to the end user; you can get used to it and even love it. Evaluating UI design is a matter of taste, everyone will have their own opinion. I would like to dwell on how this UI manifests itself in operation.

In standby mode, phones with AMOLED screens have the ability to display information from certain applications, such as the calendar. On a black background, white inscriptions glow brightly, for example, this could be a message that it is your friend’s birthday. You are free to choose the applications that will display information here. Plus, icons of missed events and time are shown.

This screen operation is convenient and allows you to not have to pick up your phone to see what was happening while you were doing other things. In lock mode, when you have not yet gotten inside the device, you can see information from other applications, for example, Twitter - as a rule, this is one entry. Therefore, we can consider this more of a design element than something useful and truly helping to navigate the flow of information.

The vertical orientation of the interface is due to the fact that the list of applications (swipe to the left) is better displayed this way. You see applications sorted alphabetically, there is a search bar at the top or selecting a letter, then you can jump to a specific section. The irony is that for users outside the US who use two languages, the alphabet goes like this - first the local layout, then the English one.

That is, English is almost always on the second screen, so it turns out that you need to scroll the screen and only then select the desired letter. Ergonomics manifests itself in such little things, and in Windows 10 Mobile it limp on all fours. It felt like an army of Microsoft programmers were working on individual features and applications, but there was no chief architect to explain and show how all these parts should work together.

At the beginning of the list, the latest applications that you have installed on your device are shown.

By analogy with Android and iOS, Windows 10 has a curtain for notifications and quick activation of certain functions. You pull the screen down, 4 icons appear, each of which you can customize to your liking by selecting what you need from a list predefined by the manufacturer. You can expand the icons, then a 4x4 matrix will appear, but in a large matrix you can no longer select functions for three new rows; they are determined by the manufacturer.

Notifications in the curtain are grouped by program; you can prevent their display here for each application. For SMS/MMS there is a quick response from the curtain; just type the text and you can send it right away.

Some notifications do not make any sense, for example, after a system update, this is reported in the curtain. Clicking on the notification does not show any information, that is, it is a dead end. There are a fair number of such messages, and why they are needed is absolutely unclear.

Those who actively use their phone and do not have enough space on the first screen can create folders for icons; just drag one icon over another, and they will be grouped in a folder. When you click on the folder below, a window opens with all the icons, but there are no inscriptions with the names of the applications. But you can give your folder a name.

The vertical orientation of the main screen and menu plays a cruel joke on the phone, because modern devices can easily work in landscape orientation, which is how you watch videos. For example, I start watching a video, but I don’t want to look at the credits, so I want to pull the scroll slider and fast forward the video. The slider is on the left edge, but instead of rewinding, a curtain comes out. Why? Everything is simple, it is tied to the vertical UI, and the curtain does not change orientation - landscape orientation in the video player, vertical in the curtain. Brain blow!

It remains to be said that the buttons are made on the screen, and to call them, you need to pull them from the bottom up. In many applications they automatically disappear and do not take up space on the screen. But in some cases, for example, when calling a video to play from another application, they remain on the screen and are constantly lit. Which also raises questions.

The buttons are as follows: go back (long press the list of recent applications), the central house from Microsoft (exit to the main menu), search.

A short line about multitasking: in the last running applications, only seven windows are shown, from the list you can close them individually or all together.

For me, the last seven applications are an anachronism, since I am used to the display of dozens of applications, even if some of them have long been unloaded from memory and will take time to launch (which is almost always imperceptible). Moreover, on Windows 10, even “running” applications sometimes require state restoration, and this takes the same time as on other platforms. The restriction is stupid and annoying.

In every phone, important information for me is the battery charge, not only its graphical display, but also the percentage, and I would like to see this information in the status bar, choose the option of such display (available on almost all Android smartphones, as well as on iOS) . In Windows 10, to see the battery charge percentage, you need to pull the curtain down. It's damn inconvenient. And then someone will quite rightly say that I’m being picky and you can estimate the charge by the icon. Of course it is. But I would like to get the same convenience that I see on other systems.

In general, I have a mistrust of the way the various progress bars are shown in Windows 10; some schoolchildren wrote them. This is best illustrated by downloading applications from the Microsoft App Store. For example, you have an application that takes up 10 MB, about 8 MB has been downloaded, how long do you think the download indicator will be filled? Common sense dictates that this will be approximately 80 percent, visually the same story as with the battery. It's a pity, but usually it's half! I experimented specifically, and it turned out that the loading indicator almost always lags behind what the system shows in the same window. How this can be, I don’t know - it feels like Windows 10 gets the boot information with a long delay and does not immediately display it in the graphic element.

Now a nitpick that you can safely ignore. When updating the system software, gears spin on the screen, one larger and one smaller. Exactly the same arbitrary display of progress below them. But there is a small detail that is contrary to common sense: the gears do not mesh with each other. They spin in the air, each on its own. It's hard to find a more accurate metaphor for Windows 10 Mobile; the company itself did it.

All markers have different tastes and colors, but Windows 10 Mobile is distinguished by numerous roughnesses in the interface, which were laid down at the design stage of Windows Phone. The system is saved by the absence of a large number of applications and users who can be called “heavy”, those who squeeze every last drop out of modern smartphones. Compared to Android/iOS, Windows 10 Mobile has much more limited customization options, starting with widgets and ending with other aspects of the system. It's a matter of taste, but for me this is an indicator of predetermination and lack of flexibility of the system. It cannot be customized, although in Android you can change literally any element of the system.

File system - where are my files?

Microsoft has a wealth of experience developing desktop systems, but for their mobile OS they borrowed a lot from iOS and did it thoughtlessly. For example, I can't help but think that by taking Apple's approach to the file system, Microsoft shot itself in the foot. The device has an explorer (file manager) that shows the following folders:

Video
Documentation
Downloads
Images
Ringtones
Music

And it doesn't show anything else. At all. For example, if you decide that it’s 2016 and you can download a torrent from where you can download videos, music or something similar to your device, then get ready for the first surprise. By default, the torrent client will download everything into its own folder, which is not visible from the file manager. You won't see these files! They can only be viewed from a torrent client! It was 2016...

Let's remember how it works on Android: you download files anywhere, and in the player they become visible immediately, you don’t even think about where they are saved. You just press a button and start watching or listening to them. Voila. In Windows 10 Mobile, this is an impossible operation, something from the distant future.

Further more. You may have a dozen video players, but only the one that is preinstalled on your phone will open from the torrent client. Surprise! The “Video” application cheerfully reports that “videos copied from the PC will be shown here.” We live in a post-PC world, what kind of computers are you talking about? I want to download videos directly to my device and be able to open them using regular tools and without dancing with a tambourine.

But this is not the Microsoft way, is it? If you think that video is a happy exception, then forget it. It’s the same story with ringtones, do you remember the folder of the same name? Accordingly, the file must be in it, otherwise you will not be able to select it, you simply will not see it. How you could shoot yourself in the foot like that, I don’t know. But those people who believe that such an approach is convenient raise doubts in my mind about its adequacy. These are unreal dances with a tambourine, and out of the blue.

Microsoft Edge is the fastest browser on the planet

Microsoft did not work out with Internet Explorer, a difficult legacy of the past, bad karma and a loss to its main competitor in Chrome. The solution was found to be simple in Microsoft style: you need to rename the “unsuccessful” product, and after that it will become “successful”. This is how Microsoft Edge was born, the latest generation browser that has the same icon as its predecessor.

Microsoft has followed the path of Blackberry and is competing in virtual parrots, citing benchmark data that proves that EDGE is the best compatible with HTML5, works faster than competitors, in a word, is a work of art. I would add modern art, since the browser does not have a single advantage over its counterparts in Safari or Chrome.

Let's start with simple and understandable things, this is the browser UI. At the bottom of the page there is a line for entering an address, as well as searching. On the left is the windows icon; it never displays the number of windows that you have “open”. In Chrome you always see how many windows you have, which is nice and useful. For example, when I reach 70-80 windows, I close them by order; usually I have 10-15 working tabs.

By double tapping, the page and the text on it adapt to the screen, in one column. Unfortunately, this does not happen very quickly, even on simple pages. The second disadvantage, noticed on different devices (Lumia 550/950/950 XL), by default, when adjusted to the screen width, the font becomes small and not very readable. It feels like the developers forgot about the complaints in the 8th version of the system and simply didn’t care about all subsequent fixes. Here again it is small and inconvenient to read. You can adjust it by hand, but this is an unnecessary step.

Unfortunately, the browser renders pages slowly and cannot be called fast. And this happens with any sites, there are no exceptions.

When you access the page again, it should load again! The phone does not hold a cache, which creates certain delays, and if you do not have a network, then it is impossible to view the page. There is a very convenient “Reading List” function, you leave pages for later, they have a large icon and a short description. Probably someone will decide that the pages in this list are saved in the phone’s memory and can be called up even without the Internet? But this is not so, on the plane I looked at the screensaver that there was no connection. It’s not very clear to me what the deep meaning of the function is. Additional bookmarks and nothing more.

Favorites usually can be synchronized with your desktop PC running Windows 10, which will please users of this system. But there is no possibility of synchronization with more popular browsers.

Search engines for Russia include Bing, the default is Yandex, but not Google. This is surprising because in the outside world, EDGE masquerades as Google Chrome rather than introducing itself under its own name. This sometimes leads to very funny consequences, for example, when calling a link from the Windows 10 system application on the phone to download MS Outlook, the Play Store with the corresponding Android application opened in the browser. The error is very rare, but significant and funny.

Unfortunately, no one except Microsoft develops decent browsers for Windows Phone; you won’t find Chrome or Safari here. As a result, in the absence of alternatives, you will be tied to this browser. The only hope is that they will finish it someday, increase performance, and add a data cache. At the time of writing the review, the EDGE browser is also one of the most energy-intensive applications; it eats up the battery with a bang. Fans of Microsoft's system are already coming up with options on how to avoid this, for example, you can prevent the browser from running in the background or manually close it after work. Comfortable? This is Windows!

Microsoft application store, cost of programs and their capabilities

The design of the application store has been redesigned in the style of the previous version of Android, tiles have been abandoned in each of the views, now it is something in between. Again, this is a matter of taste that does not deserve attention; another thing is the quantity and quality of applications, as well as their capabilities.

I'm used to the fact that on Android/iOS you can find many programs that perform the same functions; they differ from each other both in capabilities and in design. If in the past many programs on Android were crooked in terms of following Google's design wishes, then in the last year this has hardly been observed. They all look roughly the same style and feel the same; on iOS, Apple achieved this from developers much earlier.

The state of Windows 10 and third-party programs can be characterized simply: some are in the forest, some are looking for firewood. No uniformity can be traced even remotely; program settings are randomly scattered across different menus, as well as font sizes, arrangement of elements and other “trifles”. All together creates a feeling of sloppiness in the system; you never know and are not sure what the application you download from the store will look like.

Historically, third-party developers, both large companies and small players, have been reluctant to create software for Windows Phone. Microsoft had to pay for the adaptation of existing programs, but very quickly MS realized that they would go down the drain if they gave everyone money for it. The path was a dead end. Moreover, the complexity of programming for Windows Phone turned off developers, plus a small number of users, most of whom are not ready to pay for applications, since they use phones for calls and SMS, but not as modern smartphones. All this created the conditions when the struggle began for the number of applications in the Microsoft store, when it was necessary to catch up with other systems. And this led to disastrous results: the store turned into a garbage dump that lives its own life, different from the life of the entire planet.

So, in the store you can find programs that were created on your knees in a couple of hours to show how to program! For example, this is one of the video players that I came across by accident. And the creator is not at all shy about this and has added this information to the program description.

But it all starts the moment you try to find something; searching the app store almost never gives adequate results. The descriptions for the programs are so crooked that many of them fall out of the search; you will not be able to find them unless you know the exact name. Not cool.

Despite the fact that there are program charts, you can’t find much interesting software in them. See what the top 10 programs look like on Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile and feel the difference.

Windows 10 Mobile

Let me give you a simple example from life. I like to play different games on the road; I prefer the widespread Tower Defense genre. There are more than a dozen excellent games on iOS/Android, they are almost entirely the same on both platforms, and the total number of games in this genre amounts to a hundred or something, if not more. How many games of this genre are there on Windows 10? Exactly one, according to a search query in the Microsoft store.

As I mentioned above, many free programs from other platforms are not available on Windows 10 or have severely reduced functionality. For example, Instagram is in beta version, there is no support for video and many effects, as well as editing tools. In the alternative and better client 6tag, you will have to pay 119 rubles for the opportunity to work with video.

The main complaint about the software for Windows 10 Mobile is that there is no alternative; there are no different versions of the programs. But what’s even more depressing is that the software itself is extremely simple, matching the system. By the standards of the world of modern operating systems, this is some kind of stone age. I tried to remember at least one program that on Windows 10 Mobile would be superior in its characteristics to similar software on iOS/Android, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it.

Moreover, MIcrosoft considers its own operating system so poor and limited in capabilities that they create software for their services primarily for iOS/Android, this is a trend of the last year. What’s interesting is that software for other people’s systems is the first to receive functions that will appear on Windows 10 Mobile in a year or not at all. That is, a logical question arises: what is the advantage of an operating system from Microsoft if all branded services are available in the best quality on iOS/Android? For Microsoft fans, this fact is very painful; they try to come up with many excuses to shield the company. But all I see here is that development for other systems is so much simpler that even Microsoft proves this with their software. What could be the best anti-advertising for Windows 10 Mobile?

And this is another indirect indication of where the company is going and why it is going to abandon the current version of the system in favor of regular Windows 10 running on processors from Intel.

Microsoft Outlook - mail on "ten"

Many of my friends like MS Outlook on their personal computer so much that they install some version of Windows on their MacBook and use mail in this environment. Mobile Outlook did not inherit all the features from the older one, but it did not become an ugly duckling either. The mobile version of MS mail now has the ability to attach files from OneDrive and other programs to letters, but not from the file system, which is actually not there for the user. The engine has added letter formatting, like in MS Word, which is not bad; many HTML pages open in the MS EDGE window. There are even gestures where you can swipe certain messages in the menu and configure an action for them (select a checkbox or archive - this is the default, but you can also set other actions). There is a combined mailbox, but there is no filter system, which may upset some. But there is good integration with the calendar, when events can be added to it in a few touches. Another thing is that there is simply nothing unusual or differentiating this program from standard GMail mail on Android.

Navigation online and offline, maps Here

For me, the quality of navigation is measured not only by the drawing of maps, but also by the number of POIs by which you can search for certain objects. In Here, the number of points that are available both online and offline is not very large, and their relevance leaves much to be desired, the same Google Maps is a cut above. In the USA, I used Here navigation for a week, compared it with Google Maps, and all the time I realized that without such insurance I would often miss when stores were open, where they were located, and the routes would be far from optimal. The main reason is that cards can improve when more people use them, and that simply isn't the case here. The only plus is the ability to download maps of different regions for offline navigation (for free).

Universal apps, or UWP

Microsoft decided to combat the lack of quality applications for mobile devices by creating a platform for universal applications (UWP).

Developers can create their applications for different devices with a minimum number of changes, and the user receives essentially the same application on each device. Comfortable? Undoubtedly. The problem here is exactly the same as before. Many software creators for the desktop version of Windows have no presence on mobile platforms, which means that they cannot be the source of such software. But those developers who are active on iOS/Android will almost never create applications for Windows, since they do not see this market. Isolated cases of universal applications show that they are created either by Microsoft independently or by large companies. Typically, such applications are not too complex when it comes to third-party developers.

All sorts of things and some impressions

It so happened that Microsoft began to actively release its key applications for iOS/Android, for example, this concerns the office suite, that is, now these applications are more functional on other people's platforms. Marvelous? Not that word. And there is no reason to get them as part of Windows 10 Mobile, except for the cost of the subscription, which may differ in the future, now it is zero everywhere. I don’t see much point in describing this software; it is well known.

The same goes for MS Groove, TV and Cinema, and the “News” and “Finance” applications. They are all standard and familiar, they have both positive and negative features, but they cannot have any decisive influence on the choice of system.

Almost two months with the Lumia 950, several updates received for the OS during this time, and a conclusion that many will not like. The system remains raw. It gets to the point of the unimaginable, the Photos (album) app suddenly starts consuming energy like crazy, about 7% of the battery per hour. In half a day the phone is completely discharged, and all I have left is irritation. The error is well known, documented, and they promise to fix it in the near future, in a month or two.

I like the fact that now, at least, you can receive the GMail phone book, pull up contacts from the cloud from Google, no crutches are needed. But I don’t like at all that applications live an independent life, and the system is assembled from individual bricks that they didn’t bother to bring to a single denominator.

Of the funny, but typical for Windows 10 Mobile errors, I can remember the alarm clock. If you miss your alarm in the morning and don't touch your phone, you'll find out the next morning that you missed it twice. That is, first they will show you a new alarm clock, and then the missed old one. This doesn’t fit in my mind. The system does not replace with a new event something that has already passed and has not received a user reaction. I don't care what happened to the alarm yesterday, I already missed it and I don't need it. Why show it a second time? Moreover, the alarm clock is set to the same time throughout the week.

Another point that is very annoying is the constant offers to reboot the phone, since it thinks that the SIM card or its settings have changed. No changes occurred, and after a reboot everything starts all over again. The glitch is floating, it happened that it was not there for a week, and then it appeared again and was annoying.

The system turned out to be very crude, moreover, many things that worked in Windows Phone 8.1 are missing here or do not work correctly. And this is a clear step back, which cannot be corrected in any way. For example, for the “People” bookmark, all social accounts associated with a person’s name have been removed; now they cannot be viewed from the bookmark as before.

This system is perfect for budget devices from which they make calls, write SMS, and sometimes use other functions. But it cannot be called a full-fledged and modern platform for a smartphone. Of course, everyone can have their own opinion here, but even after waiting a couple of months since the start of sales of the Lumia 550/950/950 XL, I did not wait for the stable version of Windows 10 Mobile and the correction of minor and serious errors. The reason is that the system is not being actively developed and has already been de facto abandoned; it is a living dead thing. Of course, many of its elements will form the basis for the next version; today the Windows build numbers are no different between the mobile and desktop versions, and in the future the unification will become even greater. It was possible to go deeper into individual details, but this is not necessary. What is described above is quite enough to evaluate what Windows 10 Mobile is capable of and what it cannot do and will never learn. At the moment, the demand for Windows 10 Mobile smartphones is at a historical low for Windows Phone, sales of the three Lumia models are so low that with the same Lumia 950 they are giving away the Lumia 550 completely free of charge. And here it should be noted that the devices have normal hardware, but it all comes down to the system itself, which the market and its consumers did not accept. And there is simply nothing to add to this; the share of Windows Phone in the world has fallen by 1 percent and continues to decline. This is no longer even an “Other” category, but less so. In the first quarter of 2016, third place after Android and iOS, oddly enough, will be taken by Tizen; sales for a month and a half speak about this very clearly.

P.S. Reviews of the Lumia 950/550 will appear in the next few days, in which I will dwell on my impressions of the hardware and the devices themselves.

Windows 10 Mobile is a version of the Windows 10 OS designed for mobile devices with a screen diagonal of up to nine inches. Its main feature: synchronization with the desktop version of Windows, launching new “universal” applications, as well as the ability to connect devices to an external display and use the smartphone as a PC with mouse and keyboard support

A little background

The first version of the OS was released in December 2015. Windows 10 Mobile was a "glimmer of hope" for all Windows Phone owners. With the release of a new version of the mobile OS, Microsoft began to shower users with promises that many fell for (including the author of this article).

I am the owner of a Microsoft Lumia 535 with Windows 10 Mobile pre-installed (I have been using the device for 3 years). During my use, I formed a certain opinion about the smartphone and the OS as a whole, so I decided to tell readers about the relevance of this platform these days.

My first impressions of the purchased smartphone are not entirely objective and a little naive:

For comparison and understanding of the issue, you can imagine any device of 2015 on iOS and Android, and this is one generation with Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Google Nexus 5X and 6P, Samsung Galaxy S6. And most likely, such smartphones are still fully functional (there may only be issues with the battery, but they can be resolved by replacing the battery with a new one). So what happens to a typical 2015 smartphone running Windows 10 Mobile?

Device support

The first disappointment that Windows 10 Mobile brought was that it does not support all devices. The minimum system requirements were as follows: 1 GB of RAM, screen resolution 960x540 pixels or higher, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor: 208, 210, 615, 617, 625, 808, 810, 820 or 835. This meant that budget Lumia with 512 GB of RAM were unable to receive an official update (although some users managed to somehow replace data about the smartphone and install updates).

Windows App Store

The Windows application store is a complete disappointment and the situation has not changed at all from 2015 to the present day: there is a catastrophic shortage of applications and games. The existing ones are not updated by the developers, and no one is making new ones.

The store is filled with all sorts of “slag” that is not moderated in any way. There are paid applications, the purchase of which is pointless. At the top of the store are applications from Microsoft and hits of 2015-2016 for Android.

At the moment, applications show the possibility of updating, but refuse to update (the download takes forever), although this problem may be related specifically to my Microsoft Lumia 535 smartphone.

Beginning of work

Getting started with a smartphone is pure hell. On Android and iOS, the user registers one account, which applies to all devices. Microsoft has decided to “stand out from the crowd” and invites owners of their devices to register two Outlook accounts and one Xbox, and all this in order to be able to download and install any applications and games from the Windows Store. "Why do you need two Outlook accounts?" - you ask. And I will answer: “For the Microsoft family.” One is “parental” and is tied to a PC, the second is “childish” and is intended for a smartphone, a kind of “innovation” in the field of synchronizing a PC with a smartphone and.

OS shell

The interface is nice and minimalistic. Whatever one may say, Microsoft made the right decision here with its tiled design. You can display any installed applications on the main screen, and some of them support the display of additional information. The second screen contains a list of a bunch of applications that are not convenient to use at first, but later you get used to them. There is also an alphabetical search, which is a good solution for this shell, but in my case, after the next firmware update, the Russian font “broke” (see the last screenshot).

Firmware update

Currently, this process freezes at 1% of the load, causing the device to not update. The description of all the updates to Windows 10 Mobile, with which “your device will work even better,” looks especially funny.

Using a smartphone while charging

This is one of the many factors that will make users lose a lot of nerves. The bottom line is that when charging a smartphone, it is impossible to use it. The screen begins to live its own life, one touch turns into three, swiping down opens a bunch of applications (the problem may be related to a certain model or batch of smartphones, but this does not make it any easier for me).

Compatible with other accessories

In times of smart watches, fitness trackers, and additional plug-ins that can be used seamlessly with smartphones on iOS and Android, this problem is more relevant than ever. There are a limited number of smartwatches that support Windows 10 Mobile: , Fitbit Surge, Agent Smart Watch, i’m Watch (all discontinued).

Today, not a single manufacturer of current smart watches supports Windows 10 Mobile OS. On the Internet you can find official fitness trackers from Microsoft: Microsoft Band and Microsoft Band 2, which are also discontinued and are not supported by the company. But they should work with Windows smartphones. As you can see, the choice is small...

VPN

A very useful feature nowadays. Particularly relevant for Ukraine and Russia. There are free applications that allow you to use VPN on Windows 10 Mobile, but they are absolutely ineffective. The only apps that remain are those that offer VPN services for a monthly subscription costing $20 or more.

Browsers and popular applications

The story about all kinds of applications is not over yet. Browsers on WP10 are a sore subject. There are only two that work normally: Microsoft Edge and UC Browser. Unfortunately, they do not have sufficient functionality in modern browsers. Surfing web pages occurs with stutters and freezes. There are really not enough applications from Google: Maps, YouTube, Google Play Music and so on.

It is also worth mentioning popular applications. Messengers, they are present in the Microsoft store and almost everything, but updates from developers are received extremely rarely and not always on time, or even not received at all.

A sore subject is bank clients, who for the most part do not exist or they exist, but are unofficial, from third-party developers. Whether you should trust such decisions with your banking data is a rhetorical question.

In general, the store lacks many official applications from stores, operators, and websites. There is a significant shortage of photo editors and games. As for audio and video players, the standard ones are enough. Readers can be found without problems, although for the most part they will be analogues of Android applications.

P.S. Fortunately, in the middle of last year, the Steam client was released for Windows 10 Mobile, if you know what I mean, fellow pirates.

Pre-installed applications

When initially purchasing a smartphone, the user is greeted with a number of useful programs from Microsoft: Food, Health and Fitness, Maps, camera applications, Weather, Mail, Sports, News, Word, OneDrive and so on. It would seem that at least these applications can be used without problems? But not everything is as rosy as we would like...

We should also talk about the Office software package. They are really well made and convenient, but after a year they require the purchase of a paid subscription. The maps are also well made, but are only relevant for Europe.

Gameloft Hub is the official application of the game developer (I could not ignore this application). It contains 5 games from Gameloft, which are ports with java. And everything is either donated or paid. It is not clear what Microsoft was guided by when creating and integrating this application into new (once) smartphones.

The gameplay screenshots speak for themselves - this is some wild old stuff:

One-handed mode

Functionality that developers have added in later versions of Windows 10 Mobile. Perhaps a useful feature for flagship Lumia with a large screen diagonal. On Microsoft Lumia 535 it is implemented crookedly. The developers made sure that the user could scroll through only half of the screen, but content in this mode is not always displayed correctly.

Eventually

The author does not recommend purchasing smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile. Even if it seems to you that the hardware is quite good, and the price is tempting. Better pay attention to Android devices for a similar price. They may not be so cool at first glance, but at least with them you can use all popular services without problems and wasted nerves.

In our time, “small-soft” smartphones can only perform the functions of dialers and media players. I’m especially sorry for users who purchased flagships from Microsoft. Yes, they got the opportunity to use a smartphone as a PC using a docking station, but the abandoned proprietary OS will make you regret such an acquisition more than once.

Installation

Getting started is easy. To install Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 1 for the first time, simply follow these steps.

3. Phone registration

Windows Phone 8.x or early build of Windows 10 Mobile

On your device, open the app Shop, find and install Windows Insider app, launch the application and follow the on-screen instructions.

Enter your registered account credentials Microsoft account or corporate account. Select your preferred build circle, reboot your device, and check for updates.

Current build of Windows 10 Mobile

For current builds of Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Insider customization options have been moved to the Settings menu.

Go to section Settings > Update & Security >, press Beginning of work.

Under Select an account to get started, click + to link your account, and click the account that you used to sign up for the Windows Insider Program. Click Continue.

Select your preferred Insider Build ring (Early Access Ring, Late Ring, or Release Preview). Members who choose the Early Access ring will have access to new features earlier and faster, but their builds may have more bugs.

Reboot your device, go to Settings> Update and Security > Phone Update and press Check for updates.

4. Use the latest version on your phone

After installing the first Insider Preview build, new builds will be downloaded and installed on your phone automatically as they become available.

To check if you have the latest Insider Preview build, go to Settings> Update and Security > Phone Update and press Check for updates.If the updater reports the current status of the device, you have the latest build installed.

Submitting feedback

Feedback you provide about Insider Preview builds goes directly to our developers. This helps them improve the Windows OS. To submit feedback, simply open the app Feedback Center on the menu Start. The Feedback Hub also gives you access to Insider news, quests, community, and other resources. .

Working with access circles

Support Resources

By "access circles" we mean the frequency of receiving preliminary builds of Windows 10 Insider Preview. Each circle has its own criteria for the stability of assemblies and sets a certain frequency for their provision.

Circles of access allow you to evaluate the quality of software as it becomes available to a wider audience. If the build passes all the required automated tests in the labs, it is released with a new feature, application, etc. and made available to participants in the early round of access, which is characterized by the most frequent updates. The build then continues to be judged on various criteria and eventually moves on to the next round. To help get builds to Windows Insiders more quickly, we've changed the order in which builds are promoted through circles, the criteria for moving from one circle to another, and added a new circle.

Early Access Circle

The benefits of the Early Access Circle are that members can be the first to try out new and improved features and provide feedback. If you have devices in the Early Access ring, be prepared for certain issues that may block core functionality or require time-consuming workarounds. Because the build is tested on a limited number of devices before release, some features may not work on certain configurations. If you encounter an issue that blocks important functionality, report the issue using the Feedback Hub app and prepare to reinstall Windows. If you encounter an issue that blocks important functionality, report the issue using the Feedback Hub app or the Windows Insider Program forums and prepare to reinstall Windows using the Windows Device Recovery Tool. .

Late Access Circle

The benefit of a Late Access circle is that you still get updates and features from the Development branch, but the build stability in this circle is better. Builds move to the Late Ring after technical teams receive and review the feedback submitted by participants in the Early Ring. Late Ring builds include fixes for major issues that may impact the day-to-day experience of Windows Insiders. These builds also belong to the Development branch and may contain defects that are fixed in subsequent stages of testing.

Circle Release Preview

This circle of access is the best option if you need the latest official version of Windows 10, but want to receive updates, applications and drivers before other users, and do not want to deal with the risks of builds from the Development branch. The Release Preview is only available if your Windows build version is the same as the current production version. The easiest way to move from the Development branch to the Production branch is to reinstall Windows using the Device Recovery Tool. For instructions, see Recovering Windows Phone devices.

Changing the circle of access

Changing the circle is very simple. Open Settings, select Update and Security and then Windows Insider Program. In chapter Level selection Select one of the following circles: Late Access Circle, Early Access Circle, or Release Preview.

Working with updates

Once you enroll in the Windows Insider Program and install the first build of Windows 10 Insider Preview 1, you will receive updates on your enrolled device. During development, the build number will change for each update. You can receive two different types of builds on devices:

Basic assemblies

When a major build is released, it includes various combinations of new features, updates to existing features, defect fixes, application changes, etc. Major builds are assigned numbers starting with 1. Build numbers are not always sequential. This depends on the internal criteria that determine the transition from one circle of access to another. For example, after build 14361 you might get build 14365.

Additional (service) assemblies

These are so-called "service" or "cumulative" updates, which contain a small number of changes made to the main assembly. Service builds often include bug fixes, minor operating system updates, and other small changes. For example, after build 14361 you might get build 14361.1002 and then get build 14361.1003.

What to Expect at Each Access Round

There are no specific requirements for build numbers on each access circle, but in general the following pattern is observed:

Early access circle - main builds, very few service builds;

late access circle - main build with minor fixes;

Release Preview - A major build changes at a specific time and is followed by a series of service builds until the next release date occurs.

Finding device information

The following provides brief background information on finding basic information that you may need while participating in the Program. This information is also needed when providing feedback about build issues or feature suggestions, or when receiving help.

Find the build number, firmware version and device model

Open Settings > System > Information > Additional information.

How to check which circle is selected?

Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program .

How do I know which account is used to receive builds: a Microsoft account (MSA) or an Azure Active Directory (AAD) account?

Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and scroll down to the Windows Insider Account section.

I'm not receiving updates

If you're not receiving the latest Insider Preview updates you'd expect, please review the following information.

Is there an update already waiting to be installed on your device?

If there is a pending update on your mobile device, it will not check for new updates until the current update is installed.

Check for updates manually: open Settings, select Update and Security and view available updates or select Check for updates.

Install pending updates, and then check again for additional updates that may be available.

If you have an active period set, make sure your device is turned on during the inactive period so that the installation process can complete. You can manually initiate the installation of a pending build at any time.

Build number comparison

Make sure your device has the latest version. To find out the latest build number for the selected wheel, or contact us on Twitter @WindowsInsider.

Is the correct circle selected to produce the expected build?

Builds are more often released in the Early Access circle than in Late Access or Release Preview.

Thus, the Early Access circle tends to offer newer builds. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program and review the information in the section Select your Insider level.

Is your MSA or AAD account connected to your device registered to receive builds?

Has the list of supported devices changed?

Some phones, regions and mobile carriers may not support the Insider Program. and Insider Preview builds are not shown in the Sign Up section of the Windows Insider app, which means your phone is not currently supported and it is unknown whether it will be supported in the future.

To find out what version of the Windows Phone operating system is installed on your phone, open Settings > Details > Additional information.

Device recovery

If your device malfunctions, we would like you to know how to restore it to normal.

Criticality assessment

How critical is the problem? Is one app not working? Secondary functions?
Can you use your device as before, or are its basic functions not working?
Can you solve the problem? Would an alternative application solve the problem?
Is there a newer build available that will fix all the known bugs you are experiencing?

Troubleshooting

Define the problem. There may be a solution to this problem. Contact us via

In February 2015, Microsoft officially announced the release of a new version of its mobile operating system - Windows 10. To date, the new “OS” has already received several global updates.

However, with each major addition, more and more old devices become outsiders and stop receiving official support from developers.

Official installation of Windows 10 Mobile

Officially, this OS can only be installed on a limited list of smartphones with an earlier version of the operating system. However, in practice, the list of gadgets that can accommodate version 10 of Windows is much wider. Not only Nokia Lumia owners can rejoice, but also users of devices with a different operating system, for example, Android.

Windows Phone models that will receive the official update to Windows 10 Mobile:

Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL,
BLU Win HD LTE X150Q,
Lumia 430
Lumia 435
Lumia 532,
Lumia 535,
Lumia 540
Lumia 550
Lumia 635 (1GB),
Lumia 636 (1GB),
Lumia 638 (1GB),
Lumia 640
Lumia 640 XL,
Lumia 650
Lumia 730,
Lumia 735
Lumia 830
Lumia 930
Lumia 950
Lumia 950 XL,
Lumia 1520,
MCJ Madosma Q501,
Xiaomi Mi4.

If your device is on this list, updating to a new OS version will not be difficult. However, it is worth approaching this issue carefully.

Video: Updating your Lumia phone to Windows 10 Mobile

Unofficial installation of Windows 10 Mobile on Lumia

If your device is no longer receiving official updates, you can still update it to the latest version of the OS. This method is relevant for the following models:

Lumia 520,
Lumia 525
Lumia 620,
Lumia 625
Lumia 630,
Lumia 635 (512 MB),
Lumia 720
Lumia 820
Lumia 920
Lumia 925
Lumia 1020,
Lumia 1320.

The new version of Windows is not optimized for these models. You take full responsibility for the incorrect operation of the system.

Do Interop Unlock (unlocks installation of applications directly from the computer). To do this, install the Interop Tools application: you can easily find it in the Microsoft store. Launch the application and select This Device. Open the program menu, scroll down and go to the Interop Unlock section. In this section, enable the Restore NDTKSvc option.
In the Interop Unlock section, enable the Restore NDTKSvc function
Restart your smartphone.
Launch Interop Tools again, select This Device, go to the Interop Unlock tab. Activate the Interop/Cap Unlock and New Capability Engine Unlock checkboxes. The third checkbox - Full Filesystem Access - is intended to enable full access to the file system. Don't touch it unnecessarily.
Activate the checkboxes for Interop/Cap Unlock and New Capability Engine Unlock
Restart your smartphone.
Turn off automatic app updates in your store settings. To do this, open “Settings” and in the “Update” section next to the “Update applications automatically” line, slide the lever to the “Off” position.
You can disable automatic updates in the “Store”
Go to Interop Tools again, select the This Device section and open Registry Browser.
Navigate to the following branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Platform\DeviceTargetingInfo.
You can install Windows 10 Mobile on unsupported Lumia using the Interop Tools application
Record or take screenshots of the PhoneManufacturer, PhoneManufacturerModelName, PhoneModelName, and PhoneHardwareVariant values.
Change your values to new ones. For example, for a Lumia 950 XL device with two SIM cards, the changed values will look like this:
- PhoneManufacturerModelName: RM-1116_11258;
- PhoneModelName: Lumia 950 XL Dual SIM;
- PhoneHardwareVariant: RM-1116.
And for a device with one SIM card, change the values to the following:
- PhoneManufacturer: MicrosoftMDG;
- PhoneManufacturerModelName: RM-1085_11302;
- PhoneModelName: Lumia 950 XL;
- PhoneHardwareVariant: RM-1085.
Restart your smartphone.
Go to Settings - Update & Security - Insider Program and enable receiving preview builds. Your smartphone may need to be restarted. After rebooting, make sure the Fast circle is selected.
Check for updates in Settings - Update & Security - Phone Update.
Install the latest available build.

Video: Installing Windows 10 Mobile on unsupported Lumia

Installing Windows 10 on Android

Before a full reinstallation of the operating system, it is strongly recommended to determine the tasks that the updated device should perform:

If you still need to have a full-fledged “ten” on board, before installing a new OS, make sure that your device has enough space for a new heavy system. Pay attention to the characteristics of the device's processor. Windows can be installed only on processors with ARM architecture (does not support Windows 7) and i386 (supports Windows 7 and higher).

Now let's move on to the installation:

Download the sdl.zip archive and the special sdlapp program in .apk format.
Install the application on your smartphone and extract the archive data to the SDL folder.
Copy the same directory to the system image file (usually c.img).
Run the installation utility and wait for the process to complete.

Video: how to install Windows on Android

If your smartphone receives official updates, there will be no problems installing the new OS version. Users of earlier Lumia models will also be able to update their smartphone without any problems. The situation is much worse for Android users, because their smartphone is simply not designed to install Windows, which means that if they forcefully install a new OS, the owner of the phone runs the risk of getting a fashionable, but very useless “brick.”

Windows 10 Mobile is a mobile version of the system from Microsoft, which is much better adapted for mobile devices, especially if they have a touch screen.

Microsoft is famous for its operating systems and office products. However, recently it has also started working on mobile versions of the OS and released Windows 10 Mobile. This is not the company's first experience in this direction. Before this, there was a mobile OS with the Phone prefix. But not so long ago it was abolished and a newer and more advanced version was put into development. We’ll talk about its features and some nuances of use further.

Features of Windows 10 Mobile

The steps to install and configure the system cannot be called complicated, and all this does not require much time. However, there are some features that are worth pointing out. For example, it is officially possible to obtain the system, both directly when purchasing on the website, and as a result of purchasing an officially sold phone or gadget. In this case, the system itself can come as a bonus.

There are some mobile phones that allow you to update the system in an official way, regardless of how you received it. At the same time, you can receive individual assemblies that are used by developers. This requires preliminary registration on the official service, and then all that remains is to download the required system.

Since some users received Windows 10 Mobile as a result of the update, they may have seen that many standard applications have changed in some way:

Calendar;
Photo gallery;
Messages;
Xbox;
Edge.

An application such as Calendar was merged with Mail and received the single name Outlook. Here users can customize their work with letters, events and other elements in a special way. All this can be synchronized with a smart calendar.

New features in the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile

Recently, developers have made it possible to use OneDrive cloud storage to store your own photos. Information about the shooting location and its date is now added to the photographs taken. Most devices that have this system installed have a built-in camera, so this feature was logical and very necessary. We wonder why it was included in the software only after several years of the product's existence.

The user can integrate the Messages application with . It is possible to quickly respond to some messages that now appear as notifications. A special system has been developed for notifications, which allows you not to be distracted by any notifications that are not important to you. And you don’t even need to constantly brush them away. The system will remember your interests and try to display only what is really important. Of course, errors are possible, but you can also manage all processes manually, it all depends on your settings.

The changes did not affect the built-in browser much. However, it now has the ability to switch to reading mode so that the user can work directly with the article material and not be distracted by advertising blocks.

To summarize our short review of Windows 10 Mobile, we note that it is not yet a competitor to iOS or Android. Both competitors are head and shoulders above Microsoft's product. However, if we compare this assembly with what was there at least a couple of years ago, then this is heaven and earth and therefore, you can give the system a second chance if you have already used it before and may not have liked it.

For those who have had experience with WM 10, we remind you that you can leave a comment or even a full review about the system; we will be happy to read your impressions of real experience using this product.