Windows 10 Insider Preview Gains Slick Power Slider, Automatic Disk Cleanup, Ebook Store
There are a number of new features introduced with Build 15014, which include the appearance of a new power slider for “select” Windows 10 devices. The slider brings critical power management tools right to the taskbar, and are accessed by clicking the battery icon. The slider will allow you to choose from placing a priority on preserving battery life or ultimate performance (and a few steps in between).
“A person playing a game, for example, might be willing to have a few less FPS when on a long flight if it gets them more battery life – whereas the same person playing the same game, when near a power supply, may want top-end CPU performance to eke out every ounce of performance they can get,” writes Microsoft.
It should be noted that only the UI is functional at this point, and it doesn’t actually change any of your power settings. Microsoft just wanted to gain early feedback on the UI before integrating all of the background processes necessary to make it operational.
Microsoft has also enabled a feature that will automatically scour your system to find unused temporary files and will delete items that have lingered in your recycle bin for over 30 days. While this option is off by default, you can invoke it by going to System -> Storage Settings to configure it.
Another new entrant with Build 15014 is the ability to purchase e-books straight from the Windows Store. Purchased books will be stored in your Books library, which shows up as a new hub entry within the Microsoft Edge browser. Edge is also where you’ll view your purchased e-books. Microsoft says that it provides an “interactive reading experience”, while Edge support PDFs and EPUB file formats.
“You can search for words or phrases and ask Cortana to define specific words and view embedded video and audio content,” writes Microsoft. “And of course, pick up where you left of and leave bookmarks on the most interesting pages. You can even read your books when offline.”
There are a number of other little features added into the mix, including the ability to choose accent colors which can be applied to Cortana and its notifications. You’ll also find a consolidation of Wi-Fi settings in this latest build of Windows 10. And as with any new build that adds new functionality, there are a number of things that have been broken in the process. You can check out Microsoft’s blog post in the source link below to see all of the changes/fixes/bugs that are reported in this release.
