Microsoft’s GabeAul has just announced the latest build of Windows 10. Released to the fast ring of Windows Insiders, the new build features a few new additions, but importantly, plenty of new fixes.
As we approach the 12 month anniversary of Windows 10 being released to the public, we also approach the release of the Anniversary update. If for some reason you’re still on the first release that shipped, you’ll notice substantial changes when the update arrives, but if you’ve been following along this new world of Windows as a service, the incremental changes are a welcome addition.
Here’s what’s new in Build 14352
Cortana Improvements
Microsoft is dead keen on you talking to your PC, specifically Cortana and in this release will allow Cortana to ‘become your personal DJ’. This means you can feed Cortana voice commands to control playing songs via your local files and OneDrive, and also any song from the entire Groove Music Catalog (Insert big asterisk here). If you have a Groove Music Pass, just ask Cortana to play your favorite artist, genre, playlist or song.
One neat thing about Cortana’s new trick is that it also works on your Lock screen, which means if you’re having a party, just yell commands at your computer, no need to unlock, enter your pin or password, switch back to you music app and switch tracks.
- “Hey Cortana, play <song name>”
- “Hey Cortana, play <artist>”
- “Hey Cortana, play my <Groove playlist name>”
- “Hey Cortana, pause”
NOTE: Groove Catalog support currently for U.S. English only – other regions to come in the future.
You can now set a timer using Cortana to remind you to go get a snack, take a break, or while cooking. You can set a timer, query how long is left and cancel using natural language.
- “Hey Cortana, set a timer for 10 minutes”
- “Hey Cortana, how much time is left?”
- “Hey Cortana, cancel my timer”
There’s also an addition to the ruler you find in the Ink Workspace, it now gets a compass, which I guess is useful if the thing you’re drawing on is house plans and you’re negotiating the optimal sun orientation.
Windows Game bar improved with full-screen support
One of the most common requests the Windows team get is for the Windows 10 Game DVR feature is the ability to use the Windows Game bar with more games running in full-screen. This release adds support for six additional games in full-screen mode with Windows game bar: League of Legends, World of Warcraft, DOTA 2, Battlefield 4, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, and Diablo III.
Bug Fixes
There’s a long list of fixes, but I haven’t spotted the most needed one, a fix to unlocking your machine, or sometimes restarting, that results in a blue screen with a white spinning wheel, also known as the spinning wheel of death.
The update is rolling out now, so jump into Settings > Update and check if its reached your machine yet.
Read more at the Windows Blog.