Project Spartan now available in the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones

As Gabe just announced on the Windows Blog, the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview build for phones is now available. With it, we are delighted to announce that Project Spartan for Windows phones is available to preview in this build.

It's been just over a week since Project Spartan was available in the last desktop flight, and the feedback we've received has been tremendous—both the kudos and many ways we can improve. We are humbled that so many people have taken the time to send thousands of pieces of feedback, and to add thousands of votes on features at our desktop Project Spartan Feature Suggestion Box. Thank you!

This build, like last week's desktop build, is a very early look at software that we’re actively developing. You'll still find Internet Explorer 11 as the default browser in this preview – in a later update, Project Spartan will be the only browser included on Windows phones. Project Spartan can be found in the All Apps list, and you can pin it to the start screen yourself.

Project Spartan for phones has the same new rendering engine available on the desktop, with the same support for the latest standards and the same strong focus on interoperability with the modern Web.

You'll find that this build has our new design for our Windows phone version, with the address bar on top, and a small actions bar at the bottom (a bug in this build means that the actions menu is larger than its intended to be). We’ve heard your early feedback about the position of the address bar, and we are looking closely at the design. We encourage you to try out, see what you think, and continue to share your feedback with us.

You'll also find early versions of the mobile reading view and reading list. Other features will light up in future flights.

Please try out the new phone build and send us feedback. We are listening. In addition to the feedback option in the app itself and the Insider Hub, you can also add suggestions and vote in our new Project Spartan for Windows phone page on uservoice.

Kyle Pflug, Program Manager, Project Spartan

Comments

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Please, for the sake of usability, at LEAST offer an option for placing the address bar at the bottom of the screen. I'll try it, but I know from my Surfaces that the bottom is the best place. Please don't forget the idea of getting the interface out of your way and focusing on content. Windows Phone and 8 did this well. 10, thus far, not so.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Address bar at top is just dumb on a phone. But sure, understand that you don't want to alienate novice users from Android and iOS. At least let us choose where to have the address bar placed.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    +920 for address bar at the bottom... Thank you!

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    "and we are looking closely at the design" no, no, no! not just look closely, move the address bar from the top to the bottom. just listen our feedback.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    @a make some very, VERY good points. Sincerely hope MS thinks hard about this. Sometimes, sticking to the plan is the right thing to do, especially as one starts to notice others following/mimicking.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Address bar at the bottom or riot. Your call. Choose wisely.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Hi. I've been a Windows Phone user for over 2 years now, and I must say that I still would want my address bar at the bottom.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    I don't care that much about whether the address bar is at the top or the bottom of the screen, really. But if you decide to obstruct our view on one side, stick to it. Loosing precious content viewport room is already annoying enough not to have to see this on both sides of the browser.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    I use phones with MS since Windows mobile and could enjoy the pros both of them....and I also had iPhone and android phones yet...i hope also you will give us the decisions to choose whether the address bar is on the top or bottom...also in other cases it would be perfect to choose different visualizations...if possible and practical...I hope also, that scrolling in very long lists is now easier, because my finger hurts after scrolling a few thousand lines

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Please fire the person who decided to move the address bar on the top. Thank you in advance.

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    forgot, guess you won't anyway but please do not copy the ludicrous "reachability double tap to whatever" of the iPhone 6+. Place main Actions on the bottom, Problem solved. Also hubs (side by side pages viewable by swiping left/right) is still a great way on smaller Screens. Another reason I do not understand the hamburger stuff which basically used for the same stuff. Maybe a hamburger menu can have more Options than a hub can have columns (guess a reasonable number is maybe 3 or 4?). Still the MAIN pages should not be more the 4 for a given app. I understand the platform has to Progress but the URL bar at the top and hamburgers seem a Regression and not Progression :(

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Agree with the comment n°5 : Address bar at the bottom, please =) Think different ^^ And yes Pivot are better than hamburger button ... Sad move for Windows 10 ... Windows 10 will be better than 8.1 on desktop but for now 8.1 looks better on touch device :-/

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Gabe N. is back at Microsoft? ;o)

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Address bar back to where it belongs please.. Bottom of the screen!! Or maybe give the user an option instead...

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    What's this Project Spartan's browser name by the way? is it going to be referred as IE?

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    Put the adress bar below. Not as an option but default on phones (and tablets).

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    ちょっと記事書くタイミング早すぎる。 他社翻訳も追い付いていないな。 英語版だけいつもずば抜けで記事投稿。 Windowsブログのほうも同様だね。

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2015
    I just got updated to wp 10 on lumia 1020 but project spartan is not working. Its not at all opening. Anyone else having such issue

  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    I cannot find the project Spartan program on my windows 10. I just installed it last night.. so I should have it, right? Do I need to update? If so, how do I do that?

  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    +1 for bottom address bar. There's NO REASON AT ALL for it to be on top. At least, not from the point of view of good usability.

  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    Anybody else lose the ability to pin project Spartan to start screen? I accidently dropped it on another app which tried to create a folder, now I lost the ability to pin project Spartan to start screen.

  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 11, 2015
    The most important features of a phone seem to be missing, that is the phone and texting are not working. The windows close as soon as I try to open them. I installed earlier today, and features have been slowly lighting up, Outlook ,etc. I am going it's just a matter of time though I would think the phone and the messaging to be the first features to light up. The interface seems a bit nicer.

  • Anonymous
    April 12, 2015
    Why this stupid nickname for the new Internet Explorer? Just call it Internet Explorer 12.

  • Anonymous
    April 12, 2015
    Please I updated my L520 to windows 10 but I don't find project spartan

  • Anonymous
    April 12, 2015
    Address bar on the bottom; please.

  • Anonymous
    April 13, 2015
    Where is Spartan on the new release? Nowhere to be seen on my 920.

  • Anonymous
    April 13, 2015
    Please give us the option to have the bar at the bottom, at least as an optional setting of Spartan

  • Anonymous
    April 13, 2015
    biểu tượng không đẹp mắt tí nào

  • Anonymous
    April 14, 2015
    An address bar at the top??? Really??? And we thought you wanted to be better than IE... guess not!

  • Anonymous
    April 15, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 17, 2015
    add ability in spartan to download files in background and choose where to download! add ability to download files by project Spartan in background and ability to choose where to download files and add download status in notification center

  • Anonymous
    April 18, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    April 29, 2015
    mielai bendrauciau su visais tik nemoku anglu kalbos.Ir jau nesugebu.