14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 build 9926 is now available for download and it allows Windows Insiders to try out some of the updates that Microsoft presented on Wednesday during the Windows 10 event at its headquarters in Redmond.
Basically, Windows 10 build 9926 is pretty much the most advanced version of Windows 10 released so far and clearly shows that Microsoft is planning to make its operating systems look similar, no matter the device they run on.
Living proof in this regard is the Start menu, which has been significantly improved since the previous build 9879 released to Windows Insiders in November.
The Start menu becomes a Start screen
One of the biggest changes in build 9926 is the removal of the option that allows users to disable the Start menu and switch to the Start screen or vice-versa. Starting with this release, no such choice is available, but instead, Microsoft has developed a way to offer both of them at the same time.
The Start menu now looks very similar to a Start screen and because it does have this attribute, a full-screen option included in its main interface allows it to convert instantly. Simply said, if you click the full-screen button, the Start menu expands to the entire screen and becomes a fully stand-alone Start screen.
The look of the two is very similar and apps are displayed in a list on the left, while live tiles expand to the right of the screen, with the possibility of adding new ones and group them in categories.
Power and user options are available at the top of the screen/menu, so again they both look and feel almost the same on your device.
Full-screen mode on tablets
If you're using a PC to test build 9926, the Start menu is enabled by default, but on a tablet, the full-screen mode is automatically turned on, so you get the Start screen experience.
There's also an option in PC settings that allows you to enable the tablet mode, so all apps would switch to full screen, while the Start menu is converted to a Start screen.
One thing missing in this build is transparency for the Start menu, which is kind of odd given the fact that the version Microsoft demoed on Wednesday, namely build 9924, did have such a feature.
