Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 features a host of enhancements, including several that focus on input improvements.
Dev Channel insiders were among the first to experience the new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 after Microsoft released the update to them. The new build features a host of improvements with an emphasis on the input features.
According to Brandon LeBlanc, a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft working on the Windows Insider Program in the company's Experiences and Devices Group, the new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 showcase a fresh set of features to Insiders designed to meet the demands and expectations of customers.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 will allow users to express themselves in a way and manner they want in Windows. "Our goal is to make Windows even better at helping our customers communicate using text and voice on their devices. Recently, Microsoft also released Windows 10 20H2 update to thousands of users in the Release Preview Channel, which is the final stage before the public release of a new version.
The enhanced emoji picker, voice typing, improved touch keyboard design, and allowing users to move the cursor using the space bar, are some of the improvements bundled in the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206. In the case of the emoji picker, developers at Microsoft in the last couple of years have been adding ways allowing users to express themselves more when typing in Windows. Support for more languages, symbols, and kaomoji was also added during that time, including ways to manage clipboard history, WCCFTech reports.
Today, developers are happy to announce that in Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206, the emoji picker is evolving and is bringing to life new features such as easy user access to animated GIFs. Developers have updated the design of the emoji picker to make it more aligned with Microsoft's Fluent Design principles. Software engineers at Microsoft also introduced enhancements in the emoji search to make the symbol more discoverable and added support to animated GIF, which allows users to easily look for and select the animated GIF they prefer.
Another enhancement that Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 brings is its voice typing capability, which is a reinvented version of Windows dictation that enables users to type on a given text field using only their voices. Microsoft developers believe that using your voice is more efficient and comfortable compared to typing on a keyboard. Windows voice typing makes users relax their hands and just say out loud what they wanted written in a text field, a report from ZDNet stated.
Among the improvements in the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206, voice typing includes a modern look designed to work very well with touch keyboards and an auto-punctuation feature that allow users to say what they want without having to worry about punctuation marks. Supported languages include English (US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India), French (France and Canada), Portuguese (Brazil), Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Spain and Mexico), German, Italian, and Japanese.
Microsoft developers say the voice typing feature automatically uses the language if supported, set in keyboard settings. For the Japanese language, however, the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 auto-punctuation feature is not available at this time. Developers also remind everyone testing out the new build that they are still working to improve the voice typing feature and how it works with various Windows applications.
Another notable improvement in the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 is the enhanced touch keyboard design, which includes fresh aesthetic and other minor tweaks like updated layouts and key sizes designed for the users' typing accuracy and comfort. Several refinements like new keypress sounds and animations, as well as child keys for quicker entry, were also added. For users who prefer keeping their keyboards undocked, they can just press the button in the candidate bar. The gripper region found at the top of the keyboard also makes it easy for users to move their keyboard around.
The Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 touch keyboard also makes it possible for users to search for emojis using the new expressive input button located in the candidate bar. This way, users no longer need to comb through various categories to find the emoji they are looking for. Developers, however, remind users that keyboard layouts for some languages are still in the process of being migrated to the new layout.
Finally, one particularly useful improvement that Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 brings is allowing users the ability to move the cursor in any text field using finger gestures on the space bar. According to Windows insiders, this functionality is a welcome enhancement as customers have been clamoring for the feature for a long time. Now, all you need to do is place your finger on the space bar and slide it right, left, up, and down. The cursor will move along with your finger one line or character at a time.
Some of the new features included in the new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20206 is available only to a select group of Insiders. Their feedback will help Microsoft identify any issues, as well as assess their impact on the overall performance of the new build.
