New Windows Insider Build Makes Cortana Smarter, Improves Ink

The Windows 10 Insider Preview team is ringing in the new year with a big update, Insider head Dona Sarkar wrote in a blog post. Build 15002 includes update to Edge, Cortana, Ink, the Start menu and much more. It's rolling out to Insiders in the fast ring starting today.

Cortana is a bit smarter now, thanks to app-specific commands. Now, when you search for specific apps, Cortana will suggest commands you can use so you know that you're able to invoke them. Additionally, there are more recurrence options for reminders, including "every month," or "every year," so you don't forget a birthday or to pay your phone bill. The AI is also getting a new keyboard shortcut: Win + C.

Windows Ink is also getting some refinements, including point erase. This means that you can choose whether to erase an entire stroke or just a portion of it. Ink, pen, pencil and highlighter controls are also set to show which color you have selected, which is a nice touch.

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The Start menu is finally getting folders. As with iOS, you just drag two tiles on top of each other and bam, you have a folder. Microsoft has also made attempts to make Windows re-sizing smoother and make it possible to screencap only a portion of the desktop or program you're using.

Edge also has a bunch of new features to make tabs easier to manage. There's a new button to collapse your tab to save for later as well as a tab preview bar to see a quick thumbnail of your tabs without leaving the current page. On the security side, Edge has now made all Flash click-to-run.

There's a ton more in the blog post, including lunar calendar support, web payments, simplified VPN access and more. It's a truly gigantic release.