Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10136 to Fast Ring

There has been plenty of news about Windows 10 rolling out of Microsoft central in recent months, however the focus has been very much on the desktop version of the operating system. But, of course, Windows 10 is destined for a wide range of devices and today Microsoft starts the roll out of Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10136 to testers who have joined the Fast Ring.

Unlike upgrading from preview builds on the desktop, there's a bit of a quirk with this mobile release. Microsoft is only making the upgrade available to handsets that are running Windows Phone 8.1 -- so if you have installed build 10080, you'll need to use the Windows Phone Recovery Tool to roll it back first. As well as new features and tweaks, there's also an important note to keep in mind.

Gabe Aul explains that there is something of an issue with the migration process, and this is why it is only possible to upgrade from Windows Phone 8.1 and not from older preview builds. It also means that when you reach the end of the installation it may appear as if your phone has died. This is not the case -- you just need to be patient. Aul says:

At the end of the upgrade the Lock screen will appear frozen without the date and time for up to 10 minutes. Please be patient and let it sit -- eventually the date and time will appear and it will allow you to unlock your phone. There is a post-upgrade migration status screen missing, which normally would show you that it was making progress. If you get impatient and restart or mess with locking/unlocking your phone, you’ll wind up in a funky state -- so just relax and let it do its thing.

That out of the way, what's new?

The most noticeable changes are to be found in the general look of the Windows 10 interface. There have been various tweaks made to fonts, icons and layouts, and Microsoft says that while there are improvements from build 10080, there will be even more to be found in the next build. Improvements to the Camera and Photos apps make things a great deal easier, and Cortana has received a great deal of attention.

The UI has been updated to better match the rest of the operating system, and the appearance of cards has been improved. Flight and package tracking has been added, and it is now possible to ask questions about weather, currency information, stock quotes and more. Anyone using a device that's 5 inches or larger will benefit from improvements to one-handed use (oh, get your minds out of the gutter, please!) and there is the usual raft of bug fixes.

But, of course, there are still issues. Duplicate tiles may appear after performing the upgrade, and there can be problems with PIN unlock. You may experience problems with Skype -- Microsoft says that the work around is to uninstall the app before upgrading to Windows 10 and then reinstall it.

We're now getting closer and closer to what the final version of Windows 10 will look like on phones and tablets -- do you like what you see?