The Microsoft Edge browser is still called Project Spartan in this Technical Preview, and features like the Reading view and video playback should function as expected on more devices. Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana can now be reached by a handy shortcut key -- Windows Key + "C" -- so you can quickly perform a search, or set a reminder. And if you've been following Windows 10's development from the start you'll also find spiffy new icons and a refined design for many of the existing menus.

There's still quite a bit missing. Windows 10 Mobile, for example, doesn't feel nearly as complete as its desk and tablet incarnation. We've also hadn't had a chance to see the Windows Hello biometric security features in action, though that will admittedly require new products from device manufacturers.

Windows 8 was a bold reimagining of Microsoft's operating system, but the Start screen proved contentious. The colorful Live Tiles offered useful notifications and information, but they were designed with touchscreen devices in mind: much of the work we do in Windows involves keyboards, mice and large displays chock-full of windows and apps. Windows 8's Modern apps demand a full screen's attention, oblivious of our need to multitask. The Windows 10 Start menu gives us the best of both worlds.

Boot up a PC running the Windows 10, and you'll be dropped off at the oh-so-familiar desktop. The Taskbar and its icons sit on the bottom, and the recycle bin sits in the upper-left corner. It looks, at first blush, like Windows 8 all over again.

But press the Start button, and you'll be greeted by the return of the Start menu. It's a proper Start menu, too, with your most frequently used apps are stacked in a column. Press the All Apps button and you'll find the endless column of nested folders we've all been scrolling through since Windows 95, though they're now grouped alphabetically. Sitting alongside that column are Windows 8's animated Live Tiles, endlessly serving up news bites and social-network updates.

The menu has evolved since the early builds. The Live Tiles can be arranged into separate groups, and those can be labeled (just like in Windows 8). You can also press the maximize button to get a full-screen version of the Start menu.

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