Microsoft Releases Windows 10 Desktop Preview Build With 'Project Spartan' Plus Windows 10 Mobile Supporting All Lumia Devices In-Progress

Microsoft has officially rolled out the brand new Project Spartan Web browser on March 30. This browser can now be tested by members of the Windows Insider Program before the official release. However, the official Windows 10 release date is reportedly pegged for summer 2015. The Project Spartan apparently comes as part of the latest Windows 10 Desktop preview build.

According to ZDNet, similar to the Windows 10 Desktop preview specific to desktops, laptops and tablets, the Project Spartan is still not a complete product. But then, the Spartan browser apparently comes packed with almost all the functionalities showcased during the demo of Spartan on the Windows 10 event in January.

Project Spartan Features

As far as the key Project Spartan features go, the integration between the Spartan browser and Cortana, Microsoft's digital personal assistant, in the Windows 10 release is apparently note-worthy. And the "Ask Cortana" user assistance technology is also part of the build. As Geek Wire puts it, “Cortana [will] be waiting in the background until users want a piece of contextual information that the assistant can bring up. Since Cortana is powered in part by Bing, it’s no surprise that she has found a home in Microsoft’s Web browser.”

Adding a cherry on top, the ability to annotate Web pages with the help of a pen, stylus or mouse has reportedly been included in the latest Windows 10 Project Spartan build. In addition, Spartan users will be able to share the annotated Web pages with the help of the new "Web Note" technology. And the annotated pages can also be viewed via other browsers, notes ZDNet.

Meanwhile, the brand new Reading View is also part of the Spartan build. For those uninitiated, Reading View lets users to view the content with limited distractions. To top it off, this feature will reportedly allow users to save content so that the same can be read offline, however, this feature is not apparently part of the current Windows 10 build.

Windows 10 Project Spartan/IE 11 Rendering Engines

Overall, the latest Windows 10 Desktop preview build reportedly comes with several browsing rendering engine changes. Apparently, the Project Spartan browser will be housed on the Windows 10 Desktop task bar and it will use the brand new "Edge" rendering engine. The IE 11, on the other hand, which is also part of the Windows 10 Desktop reportedly uses the age-old "Trident" rendering engine. It is worth reminding that, the browsers come with backward compatibility. Interestingly, the IE 11 will not be pinned to the Windows 10 Desktop task bar by default.

Windows 10 Mobile

ZDNet notes that, except for the Spartan changes, there’s not much in the latest Windows 10 build. Furthermore, Microsoft is seemingly working to release the Windows 10 Mobile. And this build is expected to support almost all Lumia Windows Phones. To be specific, the Windows 10 Mobile can be made to run on any ARM-based Windows Phones and ARM/Intel-based small tablets. Moreover, the Windows 10 Mobile is believed to come with Spartan, however, there will be no IE 11.

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