Windows 10 Technical Preview Gets First Update - Build 9860

If you haven't heard yet, Microsoft has made Windows 10 Technical Preview available for free in the beta phase, and is expected to keep the operating system completely free even when it is officially released. It will be the first free operating system upgrade from Microsoft, and perhaps the most influential as well.

We've already covered how to download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview, which can be run as a virtual machine within your current version of Windows, or alongside your current version Windows on a different disk partition (giving you the choice to boot into Windows 10 or your current version of Windows). At the moment you have to sign up for the Windows Insider program (which anyone can do) to access the Windows 10 Technical Preview download.

Now that you know a little about the new operating system and how to install it, let's take a closer look at Microsoft's first update to Windows 10 Technical Preview – Build 9860. Here's a list of the main features introduced in this update:

• Action Center from Windows Phone Now in Windows 10

  One of the biggest additions is the Action Center, which is essentially a notification center that can already be found in the Windows Phone operating system. For those of you who have never seen the Action Center on a Windows Phone (or the notification center in other types of smartphones), the purpose of the menu is to provide quick and easy access to important alerts and notifications regarding your apps, messaging, files, emails, and other activity. Future updates to Windows 10 will likely incorporate new ways to quickly respond to notifications form within the Action Center. .

• Data Sense and Battery Saver from Windows Phone Also in Windows 10

  The convenient Data Sense feature from Windows Phone has also made its way over to Windows 10, letting users track and monitor their data usage on metered networks. The feature also lets you restrict internet access based on user-defined monthly limits. In the future we'll probably see this feature updated with more ways to restrict and monitor usage more effectively. The Battery Saver feature from Windows Phone has also been add to Windows 10, and will be most helpful to tablet and laptop users.

• New Animations and Keyboard Shortcuts

  There are new animations throughout the operating system, allowing for smoother and more aesthetically appealing transitions. The transitions seem to be more responsive now, giving the latest build a slightly different feel, especially on touch-enabled devices. There are even a few new keyboard shortcuts for Windows Insiders to test out, including the Win + Shift + arrow keys – which moves apps between monitors.

We should note that the above features are just a tiny fraction of the changes that were made to Windows 10 Technical Previous in this latest build. In fact, Microsoft says that more than 7000 fixes and changes have been applied since the original version. To learn more about the features of Build 9860, see the official update announcement on the Windows Blog.

The Trend of Unifying Mobile Device and Desktop Functionality

The migration of some of the above features from Windows Phone to Windows 10 seems to be yet another effort to slowly eliminate the gap between mobile operating systems and their desktop counterparts. Eventually, we'll probably start to see operating systems that are simultaneously compatible with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops; and that could happen a lot sooner than you think (within the next 2-5 years).

How to Get the Latest Build of Windows 10 Technical Preview

If you're already running Windows 10 Technical Preview, you can get the latest build by launching Windows Update. If you have not yet installed Windows 10, you'll need to download and install it from the original ISO first (see the first link at the top of this article) and then update to the latest build through Windows Update, as Microsoft has stated that they will not be publishing a standalone ISO of the latest build. Here's a quick guide on how to update to the latest Windows 10 TP Build:

1. Click Start

2. Press PC Settings

3. Go to Update and Recovery

4. Go to Preview builds. Windows checks if a new build is available.

5. If a new build is available, click Download as shown below.

It will take a while depending on the size of the build.

6. After the download finishes, click Install now, as shown below.

Wait for the installation to finish. It might take a while...

7. Several Restarts are required. You can choose when to restart, as shown below.

That's all there is to it. Enjoy the new build.