UPDATED 01:20 EST / JULY 13 2015

NEWS

Microsoft not giving up on Windows Phone, pushes new Build

Although Microsoft has effectively written off its enormously expensive acquisition of Nokia Corp.’s handset business, but it’s by no means done as far as mobile is concerned. Evidence of that comes by way of Microsoft’s release of a new build of Windows 10 Mobile, its new smartphone OS that sports the same build number as the current Windows 10 desktop version.

That’s not to say Windows 10 Mobile is an almost-finished product though. Unlike the desktop version, which is slated for release at the end of this month, Microsoft has made no such promises for the mobile edition.

Most likely, that’s because a full release is still some time away. Windows 10 Mobile Build 10166 is nowhere near as complete as the corresponding desktop build. Instead, the latest release is still focused on “improvements to core quality”, and is still somewhat rough around the edges.

“We … fixed the issue where you were unable to unlock your phone after entering your PIN and it keeps letting you type even though you entered your pin correctly that was caused by a TPM [Trusted Platform Module] issue,” said Microsoft’s Gabe Aul in a blog post.

According to Aul, most of the known issues with Windows 10 Mobile Build 10149 have already been fixed, as has a crucial problem that would make some phones appear to be frozen for up to 10 minutes after receiving an OS update (That was actually due to a missing status screen).

“The colors in apps should now appear correctly,” Aul also confirmed. “And we also improved reliability of app downloads and updates from the Store.”

To get the latest release of Windows 10 Mobile, you’ll need to have signed up for the Fast release ring of Microsoft’s Windows Insider program. Also, Aul advises that testers may also want to check for updates in the Windows Store, because most of the stock apps have been improved to coincide with this release.

As welcome as these updates will be for Windows Mobile users, there’s still a great deal of uncertainty over the platform’s long-term future. Just last week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella laid off some 7,800 workers (mostly ex-Nokia staffers), saying the company will write down the $7.6 billion it spent on acquiring the mobile maker. It’s a move that suddenly puts Windows Phone’s long-term future in jeopardy, even if analysts believe Microsoft will be stuck with the platform for some time to come.

Photo Credits: JeepersMedia via Compfight cc

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