A revamped Windows Ink, unveiled last month at Microsoft's Build developer conference, is rolling out to members of the Windows Insider Preview program, the company announced today in a blog post.
The update will allow developers to experiment with the new Ink features, which will be available for consumers this summer as part of the Windows Anniversary Update. The Ink Workspace offers a one-stop shop for pen-enabled features that is available even when your Windows computer is locked.
Although touch-enabled Windows 10 devices already let you create doodles with a stylus, one of the biggest advantages of the upcoming Ink is handwriting recognition. As Microsoft showed off at Build, the software can interpret notes like "Call Mom" by automatically setting a calendar reminder.
Also included in today's release are updates to the Windows Start menu, which Microsoft announced earlier this month. Finding apps in the menu will get easier thanks to the combination of the "most used apps" list and the "all apps" list into a single view.
Cortana gets some attention, too. She's now available to take requests on the lock screen of Windows 10 devices, though some functions, such as tasks using personal data or launching apps will require you to unlock first. There are also two new Cortana reminder features: you can set reminders by taking a picture of whatever it is you want to be reminded about, or set a reminder based on content in a third-party app.
Other Cortana updates include deeper file search capabilities and the removal of the Cortana setup process (you'll no longer have to sign in to your Windows Live account to ask her simple questions).
Since today's release comes just two days after a new mobile build, most of its features are geared toward the desktop, though there are mobile-oriented updates, including the resurrection of the full-screen "all apps" list for tablet mode.
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Third-party apps are key to making the upcoming Windows 10 updates useful, and Microsoft has developed resources for developers to integrate Ink and other capabilities into their apps. But the company cautioned that the scale of today's Windows 10 preview build means it includes some unstable code.
"With the amount of code change in this build there are going to be some rough edges," wrote Microsoft Vice President Gabe Aul.
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