Windows 10 news recap: Build 10061, July release date, and more

Welcome back to another edition of the weekly Windows 10 news recap. On Monday, April 20th, we learned that Windows 10 will launch in July. According to AMD’s CEO, Microsoft is looking to launch the Windows 10 operating system by the end of July. The news slipped during the recent conference calls of the company, and mentioned that the company aims to get it out to the market before the back-to-school promotions begin.

We held a poll on WinBeta.org asking readers if they felt July was too soon for the operating system’s release, and the results are in. Out of 1,852 votes, 47.19% felt that Microsoft should wait a few more months, while 41.47% believed Windows 10 would be ready for release in July. Interestingly enough, 11.34% of voters didn’t really care.

In the Windows Store (Beta) in the Windows 10 Technical Preview, Xbox users can download the Avatars app and get started on tweaking and fine tuning their avatars appearance. Microsoft made this app available at the start of this past week.

In a blog post, Microsoft details several key security features for Windows 10 — including Device Guard, Windows Hello, and Microsoft Passport. 

Further Reading: Windows 10 Technical Preview: How to install in Oracle VirtualBox.

In a video posted on the Office Blogs Garage Series, Ben Walters and host Jeremy Chapman walk us through Outlook for Office 2016, the new Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar apps for Windows 10, and the Outlook cross-platform play on iOS and Android.

Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 build 10061 to participants of the Windows Insider Program earlier this week. Build 10061 includes a new transparent taskbar, improvements to the Start Menu and more customization options in the Settings app. You can check out the change-log here and read about the known issues here. You can also watch our hands-on look at the new build below.

With Windows 10 build 10061, we’ve learned that Solitaire will be making a return to Windows, and you can actually get technical support through the Contact Support app (which has been refined in build 10061). We learned that Windows 10 builds will stop booting shortly after they expire, so make sure you are using the latest Technical Preview build or upgrade to the final version when it arrives.

You can check out the new improvements to the Start Menu, Taskbar, and Action Center here. You can also check out our quick glance at the new Mail and Calendar apps in build 10061.

Build 2015 takes place this coming week and we will be on the show floor gathering news and photos for you. Stay tuned for yet another exciting week of Windows 10 news!