Cortana's available in more places in latest Windows 10 preview for phones

Cortana was pretty restricted by location in the first Windows 10 preview for phones but with the latest build it looks like she's opened back up to more people. We're seeing it on our devices in the UK, though at the time of writing there's no apparent official word from Microsoft on exactly where.

Cortana has had a visual makeover as with many other parts of Windows 10 when compared to what we're familiar with. And although there have been teething problems getting this latest build onto devices, we're opening it up to you, the Windows Central readers.

Until we see something official, hit us up in the comments below and tell us where you are if you're seeing Cortana when you've got the preview installed!

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Here are some screenshots from Windows 10 for phone build 10051

A few people have been lucky enough to download the new Windows 10 for phones build 10051, while many others are still pressing "check for updates" button every 10 seconds. We've just installed it on our Lumia 635 and we're now exploring the new features. You can see the full changelog here. While you're still waiting, check out some of the screenshots we've collected so far!

Windows 10 for phones preview build 10051 can't open Office files

If you download and install the new Windows 10 for phones preview build 10051, there's one known issue that we felt that should be given a special mention. You won't be able to open anyOffice files if you decide to try out this build on your supported Lumia smartphone:

Microsoft put this rather large problem in its long list of known issues for the 10051 build. Here are the specifics:

"The Office Hub has been removed from this build. You won't be able to open Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote files in this build. Preview versions of the Universal Office apps will be available in the coming weeks."

So if you use your Lumia smartphone a lot to view Office files, we would strongly suggest bypassing this Windows 10 for phones preview release. As the known issues list states, Microsoft is developing new versions of its Office apps that will work universally across all Windows 10 devices.

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Here are the known issues in the new Windows 10 for phones 10051 build

The new Windows 10 for phones 10051 build is being launched today, but not without some known issues. Microsoft provided a list of the problems users might experience when they download and install the build.

The list of issues include problems with apps crashing with phones that have just 512MB of RAM, no text messaging read out over Bluetooth and more. Here's the full list:

• There might be situations in which auto-upload of your Camera Roll to OneDrive may not be working. Please be sure to back up your photos especially if you need to use the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to go back to Windows Phone 8.1.
• The Office Hub has been removed from this build. You won't be able to open Word, Excel, PowerPoint or OneNote files in this build. Preview versions of the Universal Office apps will be available in the coming weeks.
• We are redoing how text messages are handled and processed by Cortana so in this build text messages cannot be read out over Bluetooth.
• After upgrade, some apps that have been installed onto a SD memory card will fail to launch. To fix this, uninstall and reinstall the apps.
• About 1% of the time, incoming phone calls may not play a ringing sound.
• Call + SMS filtering will not work after upgrade.
• For people upgrading their phone from Build 9941, there is a bug in which your phone's MMS settings will be lost after upgrade. The new Messaging app doesn't yet have the ability to re-enter these settings. You will need to use the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to go back to Windows Phone 8.1 and then upgrade to this build to get MMS working again.
• Also for people upgrading their phone from Build 9941, the tiles on your Start screen for the Camera and Photos apps may be missing or corrupt. You will have to unpin any corrupt tiles and re-pin the apps to your Start screen.
• On some phones, due to a scaling bug the dismiss button won't be visible when an alarm is triggered. To stop your phone from "alarming "just touch the arrow and swipe up on the notification and off the screen to end the alarm.
• On phones with 512MB of memory, apps can randomly crash due to an issue with memory management.
• Flight mode cannot be enabled.
• Data connections can't be disabled.
• You may need to re-pin the Phone app after upgrade.
• The Insider Hub is now included on Phone but may fail to launch on some phones.

Microsoft says the Windows 10 team is working to fix all of these issues for future builds.

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More details revealed about Windows 10 for phones preview of Project Spartan browser

The new Windows 10 for phones 10051 preview build includes the first version of Microsoft's "Project Spartan" web browser for smartphones. The company has offered more details on this early public version, including word that they are still taking feedback for possible changes down the road.

The phone version of Project Spartan uses the same new rendering engine that is being used for the PC version of the browser. While this Windows 10 for phone preview still has the olderInternet Explorer 11 browser installed as the default, future versions will have Project Spartan as the only web browser for smartphones.

This build also has early versions of the mobile reading view and reading list features that will be included in Project Spartan. Microsoft added:

"You'll find that this build has our new design for our Windows phone version, with the address bar on top, and a small actions bar at the bottom (a bug in this build means that the actions menu is larger than its intended to be). We've heard your early feedback about the position of the address bar, and we are looking closely at the design. We encourage you to try out, see what you think, and continue to share your feedback with us."

So for those of you who like having the address bar on the bottom of the browser, as IE11 has for Windows Phone 8.1, it sounds like Microsoft could also change the bar's position for Project Spartan if they get enough feedback to support that feature.

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Here is what is new in Windows 10 Technical Preview 10051 for Phones

Microsoft has now published the changelog of all the big new features and improvements in today's update for the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

Windows 10 for phone Build 10051 contains numerous new improvements. Below we are highlighting the main changes.

• Project Spartan: An early version of Project Spartan is available in this flight. It uses our new rendering engine to give greater interoperability with the modern mobile web, and includes early versions of Reading View and Reading List. For now, Project Spartan is not the default browser, and exists side-by-side with IE11. You can find it in the All Apps list and pin it to your Start Screen from there. Please send feedback on sites and design. For more details on Project Spartan on the phone – see this blog post. Be sure to also check out this blog post from Joe.

Nokia reportedly discussing the possible sale of its HERE maps division

A new story says that Nokia is reportedly "exploring" the idea of selling off its HERE maps division. The company may decide to ditch the maps business in part to concentrate its time on its wireless network division. HERE Maps is already getting some interest from other companies and private-equity firms, according to Bloomberg's unnamed sources.

It adds:

The Finnish company, which is working with a financial adviser, may decide against a sale if it can't get a price it deems sufficient, the people said. HERE reported full-year sales of 970 million euros and an operating loss of 1.24 billion euros, including a goodwill impairment of 1.21 billion euros, according to the annual report. In January, Nokia projected rising sales for its maps and patents divisions for 2015.

Nokia launched HERE Maps for Windows Phone devices in February 2013, followed a year later byan app for Windows 8.1 devices.

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Thinking of installing the Windows 10 preview on your phone? Read this first

The latest build of the Windows 10 preview for phones will open up the list of supported devices massively, and as such there's a lot more Windows Phone users that might be thinking about installing it.

Whether you're wondering if you should, how you go about it or even just want to know a little more on what we've seen so far, we've got you covered with everything you need.

Check out the links below for everything you need to know so far on the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

• Should you install the Windows 10 Technical Preview on your phone?
• How to download and install the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
• Windows 10 for phones video walkthrough
• Windows 10 for phones - everything you need to know
• List of supported phones for Windows 10 preview
• News Courtesy : Windows Central