Microsoft has rolled out a major new Insider Preview of Windows 10. There’s a massive list of fixes and tweaks for Build 15002, and many of them will improve the user experience on laptops, tablets, and convertibles.
Several of the improvements should help you squeeze a bit more battery life out of your devices. They’ve added an option to the Windows 10 power settings that allows you to throttle specific applications. If you notice an app that’s getting a little too power-hungry, you can flag it to keep it in check.
You’ll notice one of the other changes if you’re browsing the web with Edge. In the ongoing fight to rid the web of power-sucking Flash content, Microsoft is introducing click-to-play. It won’t apply to all Flash content, at least not initially. Microsoft will whitelist certain trusted sites.
Those of you who own a device with a high-resolution display should notice better visuals in many of the apps you run. You’ll have to jump in to the application properties and switch to the compatibility tab to make it happen. Tick the “override” box and change the setting to “system (enhanced),” and GDI-based apps should appear much more crisp.
Like reading in bed with your Windows 10 laptop or tablet? Your body may thank you for the new blue light reduction feature, which works like Android 7.1’s Night Light feature. You can schedule your system to automatically switch display modes at a certain time so that you still get a good night’s sleep.
The tiled start menu has also received an upgrade, and it’s a welcome one for tablets and other touchscreen devices. Windows 10 build 15002 lets you create folders on the tiled menu so that you can keep your apps organized in less space. Reduced scrolling is always welcome, right?
Other mobile-friendly improvements include a simplified VPN connection process, enhancements to Windows Ink, a touchscreen-friendly tab preview strip in Edge, and expanded Cortana functionality so you can get more done without having to touch anything.
There are a slew of other changes coming, and you can read about them in the post on Microsoft’s official Windows Blog.
