Microsoft schedules more Lumias to receive Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
Windows Phone users are a special bunch. They have chosen to invest in the last-place mobile ecosystem. The reason they chose this route can be many things, such as Microsoft loyalty or having an underdog personality. The most sensible reason for choosing Windows Phone, however, is the potential low cost of ownership coupled with the well-designed user interface. It is a solid experience.
Of course, these users are very anxious to try the next version of the mobile operating system, Windows 10 for phones. When Microsoft released the Technical Preview of the OS last month, the list of compatible devices was so small, that many users of the non-compatible devices felt a bit jilted, and rightfully so. Today, Microsoft releases a list of devices scheduled to get the next version of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones. To the delight of Windows Phone users, the list is much more extensive, but only includes Lumia devices.
"When we sent out the first build of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones on February 12th, the list of phones was very limited. As I wrote in the accompanying blog post, the reason for this is that we had to select from the set of phones that had sufficient system partition sizes configured by the manufacturer. This was necessary for us to be able to in-place upgrade the phones. I also talked about a feature we were working on called 'partition stitching' that would allow us to re-size the system partition dynamically, allowing us to do the upgrade on a larger set of phones", says Gabe Aul, Windows Insider Guru, Microsoft.
Aul's tone is a bit apologetic, which is appreciated. In other words, he sounds empathetic to many Windows Phone users, and their pains of being excluded from the first round of testing. He goes on to share the following list of devices scheduled to get the next wave of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones, with the caveat that the list is subject to change.
- Lumia 1020
- Lumia 1320
- Lumia 1520
- Lumia 520
- Lumia 525
- Lumia 526
- Lumia 530
- Lumia 530 Dual Sim
- Lumia 535
- Lumia 620
- Lumia 625
- Lumia 630
- Lumia 630 Dual Sim
- Lumia 635
- Lumia 636
- Lumia 638
- Lumia 720
- Lumia 730
- Lumia 730 Dual SIM
- Lumia 735
- Lumia 810
- Lumia 820
- Lumia 822
- Lumia 830
- Lumia 920
- Lumia 925
- Lumia 928
- Lumia ICON
- Microsoft Lumia 430
- Microsoft Lumia 435
- Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM
- Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV
- Microsoft Lumia 532
- Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM
- Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
- Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM
I am particularly surprised, and elated, to see the Verizon-exclusive Lumia ICON on the list, as this device seems to get a bit neglected. I cannot wait to try it on mine!
If your device is missing from the list, that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is explained that some devices may have encountered show-stopping bugs. Do you really want to load a severely bug-riddled OS on your phone? I didn't think so. Microsoft will probably include you in the next run. Unfortunately, we do not know an exact date when the second wave will actually start.
Patience dear Windows Phone owners, patience...