Windows 10 Mobile Build 10080 Now Available, Universal Office Apps Tag Along

We learned yesterday that there will be seven variants of Windows 10. One of those variants is Windows 10 Mobile, which we have previously been calling Windows 10 for Phones. Now that Microsoft’s smartphone-oriented operating system officially has a name, the company has rolled out a new preview that brings with it some new features and additional device support.

Windows 10 Mobile Build 10080 is available to Insiders on the Fast Ring, and includes the Windows Store beta which aligns visually with the complementing store on Windows 10 for PCs. Although carrier billing has not been enabled for purchases, you can use credit cards, gift cards, and PayPal to complete a transaction.

Other new features include a new Xbox app, Music Preview app, Video Preview app, and a revamped Camera app. Also along for the ride is the first official release of Office Universal Apps for the phone platform. Microsoft originally promised that the apps would be delivered by the end of April, but here they are two weeks late. We won’t harp on that point any longer, but Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote apps are all here.

As this is still unfinished software, don’t expect for every new feature to work without issue. In fact, Microsoft has included a laundry list of missing features and bugs that are present in the current release, so be sure to consult the master list before you attempt to throw you Lumia phone against the wall in frustration.

We should also note that Windows 10 Mobile Build 10080 is the first release to support non-Lumia hardware. If you’re one of the few with an HTC One (M8) for Windows, you can also participate in the Insider program. However, Microsoft’s Gabe Aul notes that Verizon users that currently have build 8.10.15143.154 installed will have to sit tight just a little while longer to install the latest Windows 10 Mobile build. Support has also been extended to the Lumia 930/Lumia Icon, Lumia 640, and Lumia 640XL.

As for when we can see the final build of Windows 10 Mobile for retail release, Aul explains, “For phones, Windows 10 will arrive later this year – both on new devices and also upgrades for existing Windows Phone 8.1 devices. Even though Windows 10 will be arriving for phones later than it does for PCs, the underlying OS code is still the same.”