A preview version of Windows Phone 10 is expected next week

Jan 16, 2015 07:51 GMT  ·  By

This week, the very first Phone Insider app that paves the way for the first Windows Phone 10 preview showed up in the store, confirming once again that Microsoft is working to provide us with a glimpse into the new mobile operating system at the January 21 event, next week.

Today, a brand new app has also been spotted in the Windows Phone store, again with the purpose of providing users with access to the preview build, but just like the first version, it doesn't work for the time being and it's likely to be unlocked next week.

As WindowsCentral reports citing XDA forum moderator Jeremy Sinclair, the app, which cannot be downloaded right now, is called Windows Previewer Beta and was designed to allow users to try out early Windows Phone updates and provide feedback to the company.

What's more, this app comes with new authentication methods, so in case logging in with your Windows Insider account fails, you are asked to provide your Microsoft account or internal Microsoft credentials. None works at this moment though.

First preview coming next week

These two apps are the living proof that Microsoft is indeed working to make a preview version of Windows Phone 10 available as soon as possible, and the upcoming January 21 event seems the best moment to do so.

People familiar with Microsoft's plans indicated that the company would present Windows Phone 10 during the press conference and then release it to users who are enrolled in the Phone Insider program, just as was the case of Windows 10 Technical Preview and the Windows Insider program.

At this point, it's not clear which one of the two phone apps would be used for the Phone Insider effort, but given the fact that they're very similar, any of them could be a good choice as long as it works smoothly.

It could be called Windows 10 for Phones

One big enigma for each and every one of us is the name that Microsoft is going to use for the new version of Windows Phone.

At this point, most sources refer to it as “Windows 10 for Phones,” while others call it “Windows 10 Mobile.” Needless to say, “Windows Phone 10” is also a possibility, and a few claim that “Windows Mobile” is one of the designations that Microsoft is still considering.