The Windows 10 preview program now supplies updates no a regular basis, but there are still leaks that show new features not in the official builds. A new Windows 10 build (10051) has just appeared on the Internet and it includes some welcome additions and changes.
Windows 10Â Mail and Calendar apps
The most obvious changes are that the Mail and Calendar apps have a very Microsoft Office look and feel. The company previously demonstrated early versions of the apps at the Windows 10 event in January, but now it appears they are ready to test them with a wider audience, and that means they should make an official preview release in the next few weeks.
The Mail and Calendar apps are fairly basic currently, but they are supposedly extremely fast and smooth, and feel and look much better than their Windows 8.1 versions.
Microsoft has also implemented the same swipe actions found in Outlook for iOS and Android, and if you use a Windows 10 touch-based machine, you will be able to swipe on mail to set flags or swipe right to delete messages. The swipe actions can be customised too, just like Outlook on mobile devices.
There is also support for multiple email accounts, and simple ways to add others like Google or Exchange. Microsoft has a custom image in the right side of the Mail app, to remove the whitespace, but will disappear when you select a mail. The new Mail app is still, for the moment, called Mail, but will apparently be branded as Outlook in future.
Google Calendar support
Anyone that uses calendar will also be happy to learn that Google Calendar support is present. Windows 8.1 does not support Google calendars, but it seems to have changed its mind with the new Windows 10 apps.
The support for Google is said to be seamless, and even supports shared calendars. Overall, the colourful new Calendar app is a huge improvement over the Windows 8.1 version and also feels like an Office app. However, Microsoft has not integrated it into Mail, as it will be a standalone app.
With the focus of Outlook on integrating everything – contacts, mail, calendars, you would think Microsoft would do the same, but for the moment there’s a button in Mail to launch Calendar.
Other new additions
Mail and Calendar are the main additions to this latest build of Windows 10, but there are also other changes present. Project Spartan, the new browser planned for Windows 10, also includes an option to open items with Internet Explorer.
Microsoft won’t apparently pin Internet Explorer to the Start Menu or the taskbar, but it might indicate that the company does not want to remove it completely.
The new build also includes a Microsoft Family app that looks like it will help to manage parental controls. Microsoft Family doesn’t yet appear fully functional in the leaked build, so it’s not yet clear how the app works.
Windows 10 is expected to be released later in 2015.
Larry Banks is a keen follower of technology and finance. He has worked for a variety of online publications, writing about a diverse range of topics including mobile networks, patents, and Internet video delivery technologies.