Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview Updated with Action Centre, UI Improvements

Microsoft has released the first update to its Windows 10 Technical Preview, as part of the public Windows Insider beta testing programme in order to gauge customer feedback. The new build, numbered 9860, introduces one major feature - a common notifications panel called Action Centre. Windows Phone users will recognise the name and functionality, and the Windows team notes that the feature has been brought over as part of Microsoft's mission to cater to different device types with a single OS.

The preliminary version of Action Centre only includes basic notifications, but the vision is for this to become a central location for all actionable events. The user interface is also not in its final form. Notifications of all incoming messages such as emails and IMs will be collected here, as will be system-level alerts and notifications from programs such as security apps, calendar events, reminders and update announcements.

Action Centre will be shown to desktop users as an icon in the notification tray next to the clock. On smaller touch-first devices, it is likely to have a different appearance. Users can try it now by downloading the update which weighs in at between 2GB and 2.74GB

Also new in build 9860 are improvements to multi-monitor behaviour and virtual desktop switching. Keyboard shortcuts now allow users to quickly move windows from one monitor to another, and transitions between virtual desktops are now marked by a small animation to provide visual feedback.

Microsoft further notes that nearly 7,000 changes and improvements have been made between the release of the first preview build and the first update. Not all are visible to users. Additionally, users might notice some regression in places where work is in progress. In particular, the UI for choosing and joining Wi-Fi networks is less easy than before, but the team states that this is because of improvements currently under way. Some PCs might have trouble going to sleep and waking up, and the Solitaire and Mahjong games do not work.

Microsoft has received over 250,000 feedback notes from Windows Insider programme members and is working to roll out updates addressing them. A final release of Windows 10 is not expected till late 2015.