In one week, we’ve had 3 total fast ring releases. Now this is what I like! Build 10162 has just been released to the Fast Ring insiders for Windows 10. It’s getting very close now, so here’s where you’re seeing the polish and finishing touches happening. Check it out in your updates!

We just released Build 10159 with our new wallpaper and logon UI on Tuesday, but this is a holiday weekend in the US and we thought that some of you might want to get an even fresher build on your PCs to play with over the long weekend. Build 10162 is another great one. In fact, our testing and internal telemetry metrics show it has better reliability, performance, battery life, and compatibility than any Windows 10 Insider Preview build so far.

Cortana is the digital personal assistant that debuted on Windows Phone, and has been a valuable tool that I use daily. Now, she’s coming to Windows 10 and is again very helpful. She can now use Office 365 to get her information. She will be able to give you up to date information on upcoming meetings on your calendar, information on the people you’re meeting with, etc.. A lot of great information in one place.

I will be playing with this a bit today to see how well it works!

We’re pleased to announce the ability to integrate Cortana in Windows 10 with Office 365 for businesses, available in the latest Windows Insiders preview build. Cortana in Windows 10 will be now able to connect to Office 365 to help you accomplish more at work. You can preview this initial integration between Cortana and Office 365 starting today if your company is opted intoFirst Release for Office 365, and you are enrolled in the Windows Insider Program and running Windows 10 preview bits.

Windows 10 new wallpaper is pretty nice looking. Inspired by Tron, and done by the artist of Tron’s opening titles, the wallpaper has a futuristic look to it, without being too nerdy. Simple yet awesome.

Microsoft tapped Gmunk (a.k.a. Bradley G. Munkowitz), a production designer and artist known for his futuristic work on Tron’s opening titles, to come up with a visual way to express the company’s identity. The team started with what they had: a name and a logo. “When you think of the name of our brand, we’re lucky in the fact that it’s not an acronym or surname,” Ashworth says. “It’s actually a thing, and that’s a pretty powerful and interesting thing to play with as a creative person.”

For you Insiders on the Fast Ring for updates, Build 10122 is available today. Some issues, some improvements, some issues that are now fixed. Getting close to release time, so changes will be less noticeable, but stability will get better. Grab it while it’s hot!

Today we have a new build for PCs going out to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring – Build 10122. I usually start these posts with the fun stuff at the top but want to call out our only big known Issue here right away – if you’re using an AMD GPU you’re likely to run into frequent crashes in Microsoft Edge (still branded as “Project Spartan” in this build.) If you want to avoid that, simply go to Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Advanced and change to the Slow ring to sit this one out. We’re working with our partners at AMD on new drivers which should prevent the issue and will update this post once they’re released.

My reaction to the announcement that Candy Crush Saga and other King games are going to be included in Windows 10? “No Sir, I don’t like it”. I wouldn’t mind them in the Windows Store and them being promoted there. But, as part of the default install? No thank you. I’ve played the game, enjoyed it, but I will be removing it from my PC when it’s installed.

Many will welcome Solitaire, Hearts and Minesweeper back with open arms. Other King games? I’m sure some will, while others will just uninstall them (or leave them to take up space).

I guess including sponsored games is one way to monetize the OS.

In addition to these games, we’re also working with partners to bring some of their great games to Windows 10 too. And we’re excited to be able to announce today that King will bring their game, Candy Crush Saga, to Windows 10. Candy Crush Saga will be automatically installed for customers that upgrade to or download Windows 10 during the launch! Over time, other popular and awesome King game titles will be available for Windows 10.

Microsoft has revealed the several Windows 10 editions that will be available on release. Obviously, there is the Home & Enterprise editions, but a couple were new: Windows 10 Movile (Smartphones & small tablets) & a dedicated Windows 10 Education. Again, Microsoft has talked about the free upgrade for Windows 7 & 8.1 devices for Windows 10 Home, Mobile, and Pro versions.

We designed Windows 10 to deliver a more personal computing experience across a range of devices. An experience optimized for each device type, but familiar to all. Windows 10 will power an incredibly broad range of devices – everything from PCs, tablets, phones, Xbox One, Microsoft HoloLens and Surface Hub. It will also power the world around us, core to devices making up the Internet of Things, everything from elevators to ATMs to heart rate monitors to wearables. No matter which Windows 10 device our customers use, the experience will feel comfortable, and there will be a single, universal Windows Store where they can find, try and buy Universal Windows apps.

The Office 2016 Public Preview is available for those that want to take a look at it. Again, like the Windows Technical Preview, this is unsupported pre-release software and there are risks involved. For those that accept the risks, it’s a nice way to get familiar with the software before it’s official release.

Over the last 12 months, we’ve transformed Office from a suite of desktop applications to a complete, cross-platform, cross-device solution for getting work done. We’ve expanded the Office footprint to iPad and Android tablets. We’ve upgraded Office experiences on the Mac, the iPhone and on the web. We’ve even added new apps to the Office family with Sway and Office Lens. All designed to keep your work moving, everywhere. But that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten where we came from. While you’ve seen us focus on tuning Office for different platforms over the last year, make no mistake, Office on Windows desktop is central to our strategy.

For those cord cutters or those that use over the air antennas and an digital tuner, good news. The Xbox One is supporting a new tuner that allows seamless integration with the console. Currently, the Hauppauge tuner works, but Microsoft is working with them to release a $59.99 device that does the same thing.

The Xbox One is much more than just a gaming console, and things like this really help distinguish it above the others. Currently, only members of the Xbox One Preview Program are able to use the feature, but it will be available to everyone in the US and Canada in future months, alongside the new tuner device.

Starting today, members of the Xbox One preview program in the U.S. and Canada can get over-the-air TV by purchasing the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q (MSRP $79.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and Micro Center), and an HDTV antenna. In the next few months, Xbox will be partnering with Hauppauge to release a lower cost version of this tuner, the Hauppauge TV Tuner for Xbox One, retailing for MSRP $59.99, and available to everyone in the U.S. and Canada.

Microsoft has a date appropriate release – MS-DOS Mobile for their Windows Phone platforms. Going back to their roots with the DOS prompt and typing commands to launch your applications, this is the good ol’ black and white (why not the amber?) command line that you remember from the good old days!

For those in the Fast Update ring, a new build is available. This includes the new Project Spartan web browser as well as a few fixes. Mostly, it’s all about Project Spartan, though. ISO’s will be available when it hits the Slow Ring for updates.

Since the release of build 10041 for PCs we’ve continued to make steady progress, and as I said in the blog post with that one we’re working to bring you builds to the Fast ring faster than before. Builds last week were BIG ones for us as well, since “Project Spartan” was integrated into our flighting branch for the first time. That’s right, this means that today’s release includes the new Project Spartan browser and you’ll get to use it for the first time on PCs as it begins to show up across the Windows 10 device family.