Fragmentation is a serious problem for Android as devices get left behind on older versions of the software, and that's something Microsoft wants to avoid with Windows 10 Mobile.

Microsoft is instead going to take the reins when it comes to updating its phones. In a statement Microsoft told WMPowerUser that while it is working closely with mobile operators, it "will decide when to send the updates out."

The statement went on to read: "The optimum way to ensure our customers are running the best Windows is to get them the latest updates for Windows 10. Delivering Windows 10 as a service means we can offer ongoing security updates, new features and capabilities – we'd like to make sure people can get access to the latest Windows 10 updates as soon as they are available."

Always updating

It sounds like while mobile networks will have some input and have time to test updates, ultimately Microsoft will make the final call and ensure updates are pushed out in a timely fashion.

On Android more devices still run 4.4 KitKat than any other version, and many are even stuck on Android Jelly Bean meaning users are missing out on the latest features.

Hopefully this news from Microsoft means that Windows 10 Mobile will be widely available on devices soon. Going forward we can hope future updates will be pushed out quickly, which can only be good news for users.

• Windows 10 Mobile should start rolling out in December.

Apple has finally released its App Thinning feature which was meant to arrive with iOS 9. Issues held it back, but it's now been included iOS 9.0.2 and should be hugely beneficial, especially to users with 16GB devices.

It allows developers to cut down the storage size of apps, by letting users download just a basic file initially, followed by extra content as and when it's needed.

In many cases much of the extra content won't be needed. For example if you're downloading a universal app on an iPhone 6S you won't need to download the larger iPad artwork, where previously you just had to download everything whether you needed it or not.

Making 16GB viable again

Given that many apps are absolutely massive now and Apple doesn't allow for microSD cards this could make all the difference and breathe new life into 16GB devices.

We'd still like to see them scrapped and for 32GB to become the new smallest size but we'll take what we can get. Let's just hope lots of developers take advantage of the App Thinning feature.

• iOS 9.0.2 has fixed other issues too.

The best iPhone widgets

Widgets debuted nearly a year ago with iOS 8, and though it's taken some time for many developers to embrace them, there are now several great - some might say essential - iPhone widgets that put live information, quick actions, and even some gaming goodness one touch away.

If you've ignored the possibilities with Notification Center widgets until now, it's time to reconsider. Here are 10 fantastic choices to get you started so you can spend less time swiping through your home screen to find the right app.

Yahoo Weather

The weather should do more than just give the forecast. It should also look great. That's what Yahoo Weather (free) does, putting what's typically a great-looking image along with all those forecast details. It's much better than the iPhone's default weather app, and may add a little sunshine to your dreary day.

ESPN

ESPN (free) is a great app on its own, but you'll get more out of it if you use the widget. It cycles through the scores of your favorite teams, provided you've signed in to your ESPN account, of course. Just touch on one of the scores to get specifics about that contest inside the app.

Chrome

This widget is quite useful if Chrome (free) is your go-to browser. When you swipe down to reveal the widget you can open a new tab right away or conduct a voice search. Some may argue that Google's voice recognitions and search capabilities to be stronger than Siri's, so this is definitely a good widget to grab.

Dropbox

If you're a heavy Dropbox (free) user then the widget will be a key tool to quickly get to your most recent files. When you launch the file it will take you into Dropbox, and from there you'll be able to use one of the Microsoft Office apps for editing if it's an Excel or Word document.

PCalc

The PCalc ($9.99/£7.99/AU$12.99) widget is pretty invaluable if you want fast access to a calculator. It puts one right in the widget area, so you don't have to fumble through your home screen when you want to do some quick number crunching. Also, it's in general the best calculator on the App Store, so it's well worth grabbing. There's a free version, too.

Nuzzel

There's no shortage of news aggregators out there. One of the more innovative to come along is Nuzzel (free). It taps into your social networks to give you a collection of articles that you might actually be interested in. The widget teases you with a few, then takes you into the app if you want to explore more.

iTranslate

If you're traveling internationally or just trying to learn a second language, iTranslate (free) is a great tool. Paste any text that you have copied to the clipboard into the widget, then it will launch you into the app for translation. Once you go into iTranslate you can save the translation for later or try it out in other languages.

Evernote

If you're a heavy Evernote (free) user, then adding the widget to the Notification Center is essential. It puts your most recently viewed notes one swipe away, along with buttons to add a new note, photo, reminder, list, or chat. Evernote has a lot going on inside the app, so the widget is the fastest way to launch a new action.

New York Times

The New York Times (free) has always been quick to embrace new iOS features. The Grey Lady has done so again with widgets, rolling out a streamlined option that puts some of the top news stories right in your Notification Center. It stands above other news apps in that it's less in-your-face by not throwing in a bunch of promotions or overly large images. Keep in mind you're limited to 10 free articles a month, however, before you hit the paywall.

Minesweeper Widget Edition

Who says all your widgets have to be productivity-based? Might as well throw a game in there. Minesweeper Widget Edition is a clever one ($0.99/£0.79/AU$1.29), as it puts the classic title right in the widget section. Such quick access to a game is great for those dull moments in line at the grocery store. Though of course they won't be so excellent for fighting distractions.

Sometimes you just want to see things larger on your iPhone screen, regardless of your eyesight. As the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have proven, a lot of people really like the larger screens, and while that can be great for fitting more data into one place, it can also be handy for simply making things appear larger — sort of like taking an app from an old 4" iPhone and scaling it up. If this appeals to you, then continue reading — we'll show you how to enlarge the size of the apps displayed on your iPhone screen for better viewing.

Enabling Display Zoom

To enable Display Zoom, do the following:

1. Open Settings.

2. Navigate to Display & Brightness.

3. Locate and tap "View" underneath "Display Zoom."

4. Tap "Zoomed," followed by "Set" to save the changes.

5. Tap "Use Zoomed."

You'll see a preview below the two available options, which can be swiped left or right to see more preview options for how text and Apple-included apps will be displayed with the new setting.

Your device will need to restart in order to make the changes take effect. Once restarted, you'll see the zoomed look on the Home Screen, built-in apps, and third-party apps.

Disabling Display Zoom

If you get tired of the zoomed look, then you can disable this feature by reversing the process:

1. Open Settings.

2. Navigate to Display & Brightness.

3. Locate and tap "View" underneath "Display Zoom."

4. Tap "Standard," followed by "Set" to save the changes.

5. Tap "Use Standard."

Once you do this, your iPhone will restart using the standard look, and apps and the Home Screen will no longer be zoomed.

Rejoice, selfie-generation! The iOS 9 code indicates that some pretty impressive front-facing camera upgrades are coming to Apple's next line of iPhones.

Developer Hamza Hood burrowed through the code of the first beta released iOS ever and stumbled on some interesting coding that evidently supports some substantial updates to the FaceTime camera, including 1080p video, 240fps capture at 720p, front-facing flash support (finally) and even selfie panoramas.

While virtually no one has ever bought or passed on a phone because of its front-facing camera, it's more of an upgrade of convenience. No one's shooting short films with the selfie-cam, but it'd be nice for iPhone 6S users to take a selfie at a concert and not look like 19th century ghosts for once.

Apple's also been playing the field lately when it comes to photo tech, recently acquiring Israeli camera tech firm LinX, which creates multi-aperture camera gear for mobile units, for some $20 million. It's possible we could see the integration of some of LinX's tech in any of the upcoming iOS devices.

Apple pushing some it's powerful back-facing camera tech to the front isn't a life changing upgrade by any stretch of the imagination, but the popularity of the selfie movement can't be denied or changed, even by Apple. And you know what they say, if you can't beat em', make a better front-facing camera than everyone else and own the competition.

• iOS 9 should steal these 3 Android features

Introduction and interfaces

For years, Microsoft has put the Windows name on phones because it's a familiar brand, but with Windows 10, it's also the name of the operating system you get on the phone. Most of the time it doesn't look like Windows 10, because the interface that looks right on a notebook or large tablet is hard to see on a small screen.

But because Windows 10 for Phones is Windows 10 underneath, with the same operating system core (Microsoft even calls it OneCore), you can plug in a keyboard or a mouse and even a screen to your phone – and when you do, the same Continuum experience that switches a notebook into tablet mode switches the phone into PC mode.

What we've now seen in multiple demos, is that Continuum for Phones changes the interface on the screen it's connected to and gives you extra tools on the handset as well. Microsoft's Keri Moran calls it a "PC-like experience" and what you see on the big screen you connect your phone to isn't exactly like a normal Windows 10 PC screen.

Trackpad duties

When you first connect your phone to a keyboard and screen using the new Connect button in the Action Center (which Microsoft also refers to as 'docking'), a notification at the top of your phone screen asks if you want to use the phone as a trackpad to control the cursor on the other screen – that's an app that gives you an experience very like controlling an Xbox with the SmartGlass app on your phone. (It helps to turn the phone sideways, so it looks like a trackpad, and to put it down in front of the keyboard).

Or you can keep using the handset with the usual phone interface. Apps you launch by touching the phone screen stay on the phone screen – so you could project PowerPoint for a presentation but keep your email and personal text messages off the big screen. There will be a gesture to move an app from the phone screen to the big screen and back, a Microsoft spokesperson told us, but that's not in the builds we've seen so far.

Intelligent interfaces

Apps you launch from the Start screen that appears up on the big screen – which mostly looks like the Windows 10 Start menu – open on that big screen. If they're universal apps, the interface you get is the PC interface rather than the phone interface (because the app is actually the same code and has multiple interfaces within, and which one you see depends on the size of your screen).

If what you're running is a web application from the Windows Store, it will give you a different interface if it uses responsive design. But if it's an Android app packaged for Windows 10 for Phones (or an iOS app that the developer hasn't added extra features to), you'll just get the standard phone app interface, only bigger. (And of course Win32 apps packaged for distribution through the Windows Store won't run on Windows 10 for Phones handsets at all).

Miracast and wired dock

The Continuum Start screen keeps the indicators that you expect to see in the top right corner of your phone screen – you can see the network strength indicator, the clock and the battery indicator there (rather than in the bottom right where they'd be on the desktop). You can scroll up and down, open the All Apps menu or right click with your mouse to customise the PC Start screen as usual.

There's a simple taskbar with a back button, because so many phone applications expect that to be in the interface, but it doesn't show thumbnails or pinned apps. When you launch an app from the Start screen, it launches full-screen, so you can only work in one application at a time on the big screen (although you can work in a second app on your phone, for example copying text from a message that you can then use your mouse or a keyboard shortcut to paste into PowerPoint).

Currently you don't even see the clock, network and battery icons at the top of the screen, just the app. When you want a different app, you launch it from the Start menu, or use Alt-Tab to switch to it.

Miracast issues

When you connect wirelessly, Continuum for Phones uses Miracast technology, which explains the slight confusion about whether you will or won't need new phone hardware to use it – some recent Windows Phone handsets have Miracast support (although in Windows Phone 8.1 we've found it tricky to get Miracast working with devices like the Roku Stick, but with the Windows 10 phone preview Miracast has worked for standard screen projection without these issues).

New handsets will definitely have Miracast support, but you'll also need a Miracast adaptor for the HDMI screen you're connecting your phone to. We've seen Continuum demos running on standard Miracast devices that are already on sale, with a standard Bluetooth keyboard and mouse paired to the phone.

Because it's Miracast, you can connect to any Miracast-connected screen, not just a monitor. That means you can stream a movie from your phone (including streaming video from the web) onto a Miracast-connected TV using just a wireless dongle, which is when the SmartGlass-like Continuum control app is particularly useful.

Docking station

Continuum will also work with a wired dock that lets you plug in a monitor and a USB keyboard and mouse, plus it also charges your phone (and if you prefer, you can plug your phone into a wired dock so you get power but still pair a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse). Presumably that's the prototype hardware that Microsoft has said it's still working on.

Having a phone and a keyboard, mouse and screen means having a bag of gadgets to carry around, and in the longer term, Microsoft is also thinking about screens and keyboards that look like a notebook but have no processor in. That's an idea we've seen from Android device makers in the past that's never taken off, but with universal apps that give you more functionality when the screen gets larger, it could make more sense.

• How will Android support work in Windows 10 for Phones?

Introduction

Microsoft has finally launched Windows 10 operating system earlier this summer but left out its mobile alterego because it had too much work to do. The version we played with back in April (Build 10051) had simply too many rough edges to make it to the July deadline.

The new platform promises to make the much talked about single ecosystem a reality, but we're still a long way from the final product. As part of a challenge to see how far Windows can be pushed (see my experiment with Windows 10 running on a 12-year-old computer that had 256MB of RAM), I ran Windows 10 Mobile (Build 10512) on the cheapest Windows Mobile smartphone available.

Read on to discover the four major lessons I learned in this endeavour, including how well Windows 10 copes with running on very basic phone hardware.

• Don't install Windows 10 preview without reading this first

Lesson 1: Microsoft may sacrifice profitability

The Lumia 435 was one of the first smartphones to shed the Nokia brand altogether. It costs £39.99 on EE pay as you go from Carphone Warehouse bundled with £10 topup. However, if you are the lucky owner of an existing Virgin Mobile PAYG SIM card, you can get the same phone for £4.99 from the same retailer.

For that price, you get a phone that's superior, in terms of hardware, to any Android smartphone within the same price bracket.

• Check out TechRadar's preview of Windows 10 mobile

With 1GB of RAM, 8GB on-board storage and a dual-core CPU, Microsoft's most basic smartphone is roughly comparable to the Galaxy Ace 3. The Lumia 435 has twice the on-board storage while Samsung's entry-level handset has a better camera at nearly three times the price.

That goes to show how far Microsoft is ready to push in order to provide the market with ultra-affordable solutions. £25 (around $37, or AU$48) is roughly half of the smartphone's suggested retail price (as published on Microsoft's own website) and that cut happened almost as soon as the phone itself went on sale.

This leads me to believe that Microsoft is willing to make a tiny profit or even an insignificant loss on entry-level smartphones in order to increase its market share where it counts – at the very bottom of the barrel.

That goes to explain why Microsoft is so active in that tier with the likes of the Lumia 640 offering the sort of technology built into more expensive Android smartphones.

Lesson 2: Windows 10 runs well on basic hardware

Installing the technical preview of Windows 10 Mobile on the Lumia 435 was an easy task; one that took about an hour or so. Firing Windows 10 up after a fair few reboots proved to be a refreshing experience with the familiar tile-based user interface.

The operating system works quite well on the smartphone, and by "quite well", I mean that there was no apparent stuttering, and although things were sometimes slow, that is likely to be more of a hardware issue than a fundamental software problem.

Microsoft has tweaked Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile to run on the type of hardware that Google's Android 5.0 (Lollipop) would struggle to perform with.

It makes us wonder whether Microsoft is not going to embrace the void left by Symbian and feature phones by pitching Windows as an alternative to Google's platform. Some might wonder whether Android One, a back-to-basics platform announced by Google in June 2014, was not a reaction to the threat a nimbler Windows 10 Mobile might pose.

Lesson 3: Windows 10 Mobile isn't ready for now

Compared to what we saw in April, Build 10512 is significantly smoother and more stable. It includes a lot of the applications that were left out (Edge, Cortana, Outlook Calendar, Outlook Mail) as well as Office Apps and I didn't suffer any of the quirks and sluggishness I encountered originally.

With an end-of-year summer launch looming ahead, Microsoft developers will probably have to work double shifts in order to deliver something that can at least compete with the likes of Android and iOS.

My verdict for Windows 10 Mobile at this stage: it's full of promise and likely to deliver if Microsoft can sort out the remaining issues. One needs to bear in mind that the current iteration, as with its desktop counterpart, was never meant to be used in a live environment and shouldn't by any means be the basis for a final purchase decision. This is a pre-beta/alpha-type build and should therefore be treated as such.

Lesson 4: Android/iOS conversions will be tricky

Microsoft's mobile offering, as smart as it looks, is unlikely to entice Android or iOS users en masse. The lack of true differentiators, fundamental differences in the UI, a rather steep learning curve as well as the gap in quality and quantity of applications on Windows Mobile compared to competitors are big challenges that Microsoft will have to somehow resolve.

The company has got the fundamental apps sorted out though, with Mix Radio/Groove, Office, Outlook, Here and OneDrive being best-of-breed in their respective categories.

The opportunity lies in the few billions of people that do not have a smartphone and/or are still using feature phones. That is why Microsoft is pushing for superior hardware at the entry-level, even if it means making zero profit – and that is why Microsoft has been so quiet on the high-end front.

The one-year-old Lumia 930 is still the company's top dog and is two generations behind the entry-level models (Lumia 540, Lumia 640) but Microsoft is not in a position to recapture the top-end of the market regardless of how good the underlying hardware is. And that's the sobering truth.

• Want to install Windows 10? Check what I learnt first

A couple of weeks ago we heard that Microsoft was sending a Windows 10 ROM to a select group of Xiaomi Mi 4 owners, allowing them to get the mobile version of the OS up and running on the otherwise Android smartphone.

Now inevitably it's been filmed in action and if the video shared by Windows Blog Italia is anything to go by it looks surprisingly slick and impressive, especially for a non-final version of software running on hardware designed for Android.

The software is the same technical preview of Windows 10 Mobile which can be installed on Windows Phone handsets and using it completely replaces Android on the Xiaomi Mi 4, but the video suggests that the new software makes for a fairly smooth experience.

Offering Windows 10 Mobile on Android could be a great way for Microsoft to get more exposure for its operating system.

Forward-thinking

Users who make the software switch will be tied into Microsoft's apps and services, which can only be a good thing for the Redmond company and it may even inspire some Android users to make the switch to Windows Phone hardware.

Of course for now it's a limited trial, but that allows Microsoft to gauge user's reactions to the software and iron out any issues, so it's entirely possible that wider availability could be planned down the line.

For now though unless you're one of the lucky few invited to take part in the trial you'll have to make do with the video.

• After a new computer OS? Check out what we think of the desktop version of Windows 10.

Windows 10 Mobile release date, news and features

Windows 10 Mobile is the latest name for Microsoft's phone and tablet operating system and, along with new Lumia phones, it's ready to give you a competent alternative to iOS and Android.

It was formerly known as Windows Phone 10 and then Windows 10 for phones before Microsoft settled on Windows 10 Mobile. It's didn't launch alongside Windows 10 itself, though - that's already out in the wild.

In fact, the Windows 10 Mobile release date for existing phones is going to be in December. That's when the update "will begin rolling out," according to Microsoft.

Want to download it sooner? The big news is that W10 Mobile is launching with new friends, the newly announced Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, and old rivals, like Android and iOS through app compatibility.

Yes, there's finally going to be an easy way for developers to port over their existing code, and that means more apps running on brand new Windows 10 Mobile devices.

All of this bodes well for Microsoft's goal of having Windows 10 on one billion devices in two to three years. So far, 110 million Windows 10 installs have been performed in the software's first eight weeks, according to Microsoft.

It doesn't hurt that the company is also planning to offer a Windows 10 Mobile download for free for all W8.1 devices out there. That's going to give it a nice shot in the arm (gladly, not ARM).

Every device running Windows Phone 8.1 right now will be updated to Windows 10 in time.

This first builds of the Windows 10 Mobile were just a technical preview, and as such contains a sampling of the features we're expecting to eventually see.

As an unfinished build, this Windows 10 Mobile technical preview is liable to be unstable, and Microsoft recommends caution when installing it - maybe on a secondary Windows Phone device rather than your main phone.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next major upgrade for Windows Phone
• When is it out? November on new Lumia, December to download
• What will it cost? Nothing, it's a free download

Windows 10 Mobile release date

Windows 10 has now launched on desktop devices and we love it - so we wait with bated breath for the release of the mobile version. Right now, it really depends on your situation.

Microsoft's press conference this month confirmed rumors that it won't launch until November, and that's only happening with the new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL. Downloads on older phones begin in December.

That doesn't mean you can't download Windows 10 Mobile today. For the past several months, Microsoft has seeded the new platform to developers willing to test it out.

The good news is that when it does fully launch it will be available for a year as a free upgrade to existing Windows devices, including those running Windows Phone 8.1. So if you have a Windows Phone 8.1 handset you should be able to get Windows 10 on it before the year is out.

Windows 10 Mobile features

The key thing to know about Windows 10 Mobile is that while the version running on your handset will be optimised for a smaller screen it's still just considered Windows 10.

So apps and features will look similar on your phone to on your desktop. You get the full versions of Office, Word and PowerPoint and they will look and operate much the same as the desktop versions.

Settings screens will also look and operate in the same manner across devices and apps will be universal, so Photos, Music, Videos and more will be much the same on desktop, phone and tablet and you can switch between Windows devices almost seamlessly.

It's all about unity

Speaking of seamless switching, Windows 10 is designed to be unified between devices, not just with a similar look and universal apps, but by having phone and desktop work together.

So for example if you clear a notification from the Action Centre on your Windows 10 Mobile device, it will also disappear on your computer and vice-versa.

You'll also be able to open and edit Microsoft Office documents on all your different devices, as files will be synced in the cloud and a recent docs list will give you quick access.

Interface

You'll still get live tiles with Windows 10 Mobile and it doesn't look identical to the desktop version, but it's not far off. A background image will bleed through the translucent tiles, allowing you to personalise the Start screen beyond just changing the colours.

Swipe to the right and you'll get an apps list as before, but now recently installed apps will be shown at the top, so you can more easily find whatever you last downloaded.

There's also a new layout to the settings screen, making it look a lot more like the version found on desktop and tablets. In fact a few leaked screenshots of the Windows 10 Mobile technical preview have emerged, so you can see the settings screen for yourself above, along with Action Center (or whatever it ends up being called this time round).

As you can see there is a wider range of quick settings than on Windows Phone 8 and a different colour scheme, with blue icons.

Keyboard and messaging

The keyboard is getting a bit of a touch-up on Windows 10 Mobile. It's still the Word Flow keyboard from Windows Phone 8.1, but now it can be resized and even moved around the screen, so you can position it perfectly for your device and fingers.

Plus you can look forward to in-line messaging, allowing you to switch between SMS and Skype without switching apps and it's rocking some fancy dictation skills, as it can output symbols rather than writing the word and will even head into your contacts list to check how you spell a person's name when you speak it.

Camera and photos

The new photos app will be one of many universal apps and being universal it also syncs your images across all your Windows 10 devices using OneDrive.

Not only that, it also removes duplicate images, automatically creates albums and automatically enhances your photos by removing red eye and the like.

If you're not using a Lumia phone then you'll also see some big changes to the camera app, as Lumia Camera is becoming the default app on all Windows 10 handsets. It brings with it auto-HDR, 4K video recording, Rich Capture (which can combine images to create one superior photo) and Dynamic Flash, which takes a photo both with and without flash and then lets you adjust the flash level after the fact.

If you're already using a Lumia then you won't have to wait for Windows 10 Mobile to make use of these features, but the new version of Lumia Camera will also be faster both to launch and take photos than the current version.

Microsoft Display Dock

Microsoft will also be providing a Display Dock that will have three USB ports for accessories as well as HDMI and a DisplayPort. It means you'll be able to use the USB-Type C connector on the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL so you can connect it up with a monitor and use it as if it's a computer.

During the demo on stage at the Windows 10 devices event it showed how the screen will automatically scale to the monitor and you can use apps within it.

You won't lose your functionality as a phone though while you're using the Windows 10 apps – it'll just start ringing and you can answer it like normal.

Microsoft Edge

Big things are happening to Internet Explorer as part of Windows 10. In fact it's going to be replaced with a new name: Microsoft Edge. That's the official name that was previously codenamed Project Spartan.

The biggest addition is that on desktop at least you can now mark up web pages with notes and drawings and then share them with other users. Microsoft Edge is confirmed for Windows 10 Mobile, but sadly isn't available in the developers preview we currently have running.

More to come

Not everything about the Windows 10 Mobile platform is known yet, we're hoping to hear more in the lead up to the Lumia 950 and 950XL launches, now that Microsoft's initial desktop excitement has calmed down.

There doesn't seem to be many major feature changes in the new mobile OS and most of the changes are related to the way it interacts with other Microsoft products.

We'll keep you posted with when the updates throughout the day, as Microsoft plans to unveil new Windows 10 Mobile details, fresh Lumia phones and even a Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

• Hands on with Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile previous rumors

Windows Phone 8 is well over a year old now, yet until recently we knew very little about Windows Phone 10.

Originally it was expected to be with us by the end of 2013 as it was thought that Microsoft may adopt the annual software cycle made popular by Apple in an attempt to keep its mobile OS fresh and, more importantly, relevant.

That didn't happen, but from the information that we've been able to gather so far it looks like Windows Phone 10 could be a massive overhaul, in fact it might not be Windows Phone 10 at all, but instead just Windows 10, as Microsoft is seemingly looking to unify its operating systems, so it's not surprising that it's taken over a year.

However we did recently get Windows Phone 8.1 to tide us over, while leaks highlight that Windows Phone 8.5 may also be on the cards and Microsoft is expected to reveal Windows Phone 10 at an event on January 21.

Before we get our teeth in Windows Phone 10 we need to visit the rumors surrounding version 8.5. It's been confused with the ninth iteration of the platform before, and it's important to make a distinction between the two.

Windows Phone 8.5

It looks like there might be such a thing as Windows Phone 8.5 in the works, but details are slim on the ground. All that's really known so far is that there will seemingly be some potentially quite substantial changes to the Start screen interface in Windows Phone 8.5, but there's no word yet on what form those changes may take.

It's also worth noting that while we list this as a Windows Phone 8.5 feature it's entirely possible that it may end up in Windows Phone 10, especially as so little has been said about Windows Phone 8.5.

Now we've got Windows Phone 8.5 out of the way we can get back on the Windows Phone 10 trail.

We're scouring the web everyday to bring you all the latest on Windows Phone 10 and we'll be constantly updating the information below to give you the best picture of what's to come.

Windows Phone 10 release date

Early rumors pegged Windows Phone 10 for 2014, but that's been and gone and we're still on Windows Phone 8.1. More recently a leaked document mentioned dates of between Q2 and Q3 of 2015, which covers April-September and that's just for a preview build, so the final release might be even later.

That's now looking almost certain as Windows 10 has been announced and is expected to launch this year and it seems that this will be the basis for Windows Phone 10.

While we might not see a final build of Windows Phone 10 for many months yet it looks like Microsoft is starting to prepare for a launch, as according to WinBeta it's been sending builds of Windows Phone 10 out to select partners, though apparently it's an old version with little in the way of new features.

Microsoft has also created an app called 'Phone Insider', which appears to let Microsoft employees test out the new OS. Hopefully it will be opened up to the general public soon though.

We also may have heard about one of the first Windows Phone 10 handsets- the Microsoft Lumia 940.

Windows Phone 10 or just Windows 10?

For a while we've been seeing reports that suggest Microsoft may look to ditch the divide between its smartphone platform and the one it uses for tablets and PCs - rolling them all into one tidy bundle called Windows 10.

It now seems that's exactly what's happening, as with its announcement of Windows 10 Microsoft claimed that the OS would work on screen sizes ranging from four to 80 inches. Not only that but the company specifically stated the Windows 10 would be the next version of Windows Phone.

Whether that means it will just be called Windows 10 or whether it will still be called Windows Phone 10 isn't clear, but either way it should be heavily based on the desktop operating system. Hopefully we'll have a better idea of both what it's called and how it looks after Microsoft's January 21 press event.

Windows Phone 10 features

Murtazin gave some early insight into the design of Windows Phone 10. Saying that apparently it will be a complete overhaul which will remove the tile based Metro interface that Windows Phone is currently known for.

Murtazin went on to say that the interface would be more influenced by Android than iOS. That makes sense, given the general overhaul, since we now know that it will apparently be based on Windows 10, and cross-platform app code compatibility.

Exactly how Windows Phone 10 will look and behave is still unclear, as it's unlikely to be identical to the desktop version, but there'll obviously be unity between platforms and a similar design language.

However given that Live Tiles are still a part of Windows 10 it may not look a million miles from Windows Phone 8, especially as Microsoft will only need the touch focused element of its new OS on phones.

But even so, as a version of the desktop operating system it could well be more powerful and versatile than Windows Phone 8, which could be where Murtazin was coming from in saying that it will be more like Android than iOS.

More recently we've heard from sources speaking to The Verge that its interface will be designed to fit with both Windows 10 and the Xbox One and that Windows Phone 10 will be a combination of the Windows Phone of old and Windows RT.

A unified app store

Windows 10 is bringing Universal Windows apps with it. The idea with them is that there will be a single app store across all Windows 10 devices, whether servers, desktops or (presumably) smartphones. However the smartphone bit hasn't been confirmed yet, so Windows Phone 10 may or may not share an app store with the rest of Windows 10.

Windows Phone 10 devices list

One of the big issues with Windows Phone 8 was that you couldn't get it on your Windows Phone 7 handset, instead you were lumped with Windows Phone 7.8.

It's thought that Windows Phone 10 won't be so restrictive, with Windows Phone 8 users in line to get the upgrade which means you shouldn't have to worry about picking up a Nokia Lumia 1520 or HTC 8X.