Hands On with Windows 10 Mobile build 10080

Last week Microsoft released the latest build of Windows 10 Mobile to its nearly 4 million Windows Insiders as the development process continues for Windows 10 Mobile.

In one word my description of this build is – rough.  

If you compare the quality of Windows 10 Mobile to the desktop version of Windows 10 you can understand why the mobile update will not hit devices at the same time as the desktop update. There is a lot of work left to be done.

The update process from build 10052 to 10080 was not an issue. In fact, I performed this upgrade as I was traveling north on I-95 moving at 70 MPH.

Of course, my wife was driving so I could focus on the update but with the Nokia Lumia 830 tethered to my Nokia Lumia 1520 as a hotspot the process did not take any longer than it would have at home.

The upgrade process from one build to another is quite routine these days. After getting the notice that an update is available it is downloaded, the phone prepares for the install and then the device reboots to start the installation by showing us the spinning gears.

After the install is done it reboots once again and begins migrating your data over to the updated OS. Once that is complete then the phone is ready to use. In the case of build 10080 it is ready for the most part.

By the way, if you want the Office Preview apps you must go into the new Windows Store Beta and download them separately as they are not installed by default in this build. Be sure to check out our image gallery of the new mobile previews.

One of the first things I noticed was that all of the MSN/Bing apps no longer had names in the All Apps list and the apps would not work. I had to uninstall them and then reinstall from the Windows Store (not the beta version).

The overall performance of this build is extremely sluggish and you do see the Loading… screen a lot as you move between apps and other screens.

Despite the bogged down performance there are enhancements sprinkled throughout this latest build. Those new additions include indications that Windows 10 Mobile will perform like a PC in certain circumstances – think Continuum for Phones that was demoed at Build and Ignite.

I need to get home so I can pair a BT keyboard and mouse with the 830 and try out the PC style usage so there will be more to follow once I am able to do that.

What do you think of Windows 10 Mobile build 10080 so far? Have you seen any other new features or weird bugs in this build?

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.