Windows 10 news recap: Build 10041, pirates and a summer release

Another Windows 10 news week is behind us, and this week we got a brand new Windows 10 build to play with! The build was compiled on Friday and it comes with new functionality and a bunch of bug fixes. There’s a new Start experience with transparency, improvements made to virtual desktops where you can drag applications from one desktop to another making for faster and easier multitasking, and Cortana is now available to new markets such as China, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

Up next, Microsoft claimed that they were planning to get Windows 10 out the door by summer this year in 190 countries and in 111 different languages. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for hundreds of millions of customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 for the first year after it is released.

Furthermore, the company announced a new feature coming in Windows 10 called Hello. Windows Hello will be able to use your fingerprint, face, or iris to authenticate you and allow access to your device. In addition to Windows Hello, Microsoft has also announced a service code named ‘Passport’ that aids in authenticating users without storing a password on a server.

Also this week, the company announced and then unannounced that Windows 10 would be free for pirates. Pirates upgrading to Windows 10 will likely face the same 30-day trial experience where once that period of time expires, users will not be able to log into their PCs. It is yet to be seen whether Microsoft will include added limitations to non-genuine Windows 10 installs or implement stricter security measures to prevent piracy in the OS itself.

And finally, a newer build of Windows 10 for phones saw a number of screenshots leak onto the web. The screenshots reveal an improved UI across a number of areas of the OS, as well as new icons for the status bar. The UI improvements mirror that found on Windows 10 for the desktop, considering both operating systems share the same code this is to be expected. It’s good to see Microsoft finally bringing both their mobile and desktop operating systems together in these latest screenshots.

There you have it, another week of Windows 10 news done and dusted. What was your favorite Windows story this week?