Hands on with Windows 10 build 10049, closer look at Spartan and more

Zac Bowden

Windows 10

​Microsoft has today released a new build of Windows 10 to Windows Insiders which includes an early build of Project Spartan. As per usual, we’ve taken our hands and placed them all over the new build, showcasing some of the new changes you can expect to see. Build 10049 is all about Spartan, therefore there isn’t really anything ‘new’ to see other than Spartan itself.

Give the embedded video a watch below. We go over all the new features available in build 10049, including updates to the Calculator and Alarms apps. Build 10049 may be the last build Insiders get before BUILD, in which the company is expected to unveil further improvements to its UI, as well as a number of updates to its Windows apps.

Microsoft has also updated a number of Modern UI apps in this build. Alarms, Calculator, Sound Recorder are now all white. I understand that Microsoft is working on making this an option, allowing users to switch between a dark or light theme much like on Windows Phone. Build 10041 saw these apps in dark mode, and 10049 has them in light.

Windows 10

Microsoft said earlier today that this build is primarily about Spartan, therefore there isn’t really anything new to show you. Spartan in this build is in pre-release form, meaning the product does not represent the final version.