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New Windows 10 preview: These new Calendar and Graphics features arrive

Microsoft is cooking up a new Calendar experience for Windows 10 users.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Microsoft has released a new Windows 10 Insider Preview with improvements to Graphics settings and a sneak peek at a new and improved Calendar app. 

The new build 19564.1000 for Windows Insiders in the Fast ring is not a massive update feature-wise, but it does have a bunch of bug fixes and some tweaks. These are aimed at improving user control over how apps can access a Windows 10 computer's graphics hardware (GPU). Plus Insiders get a chance to test out Microsoft's new Calendar app for Windows 10.  

The new Graphics page, under Display settings, gives better controls over which GPU a user's apps run on. This build pre-populates an app list on a "best-effort basis" to make it easier to manage default preferences. 

Apps that aren't automatically included in the GPU list can also be added via a dropdown menu. Microsoft has also added a search box and filter for the list of apps. 

SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (free PDF)    

The Graphics settings control is meant to offer Windows 10 users the option to choose between better performance or battery life when using a nominated app.

Insiders on the Fast Ring can also test out a new version of the Windows 10 Calendar app that's available in preview.

There are 34 new themes with landscapes, seasonal illustrations and colors. The month view includes a news agenda pane for glancing at the day's events. It should also be easier to create a new event.   

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The new version of Windows 10's Calendar app offers a month view that now includes an agenda pane showing the day's events at a glance.

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has tweaked the account navigation too, collapsing the pane to make space for each day's events. Syncing calendar accounts are displayed on the left as icons that can be clicked on. 

Insiders can test the new Calendar design by toggling the button labeled 'Try the new preview', which also allows users to go back to the old version if they want. 

The new build has a long list of bug fixes that address flaws affecting East Asian keyboards, Windows Ink Workspace, the login screen, the Surface Dial, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2. 

SEE: Which computer should I buy? How to find the iPad, Chromebook, Mac or Windows PC that's right for you

There are a number of known issues in this build, too. One affects the accessibility feature Narrator in the latest version of Chromium-based Edge, version 80.    

"We are aware Narrator and NVDA users who seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content," Microsoft noted.  

"Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge."

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