Office and Xbox apps added to Windows 10 Mobile in feature-rich update

Microsoft is giving Windows Phone users the best look at what the Windows 10 platform will look like on smartphones.

The company launched a big update to its Windows 10 Mobile (that’s Microsoft’s new name for the smartphone version of its operating system) at a preview on Thursday.

The latest update of the software carries the new universal Office app, an Xbox app and the new Windows Store Beta. Microsoft is also making much more devices eligible to access the technical preview.

The latest preview adds the redone version of Microsoft’s app store, Windows Store Beta. Though not enabled in the beta version, the new app store will add carrier billing for the first time when the new app store formally launches with Windows 10 Mobile.

Another notable thing is, you can use the new Windows Store app to sneak a preview version of the Xbox app. "You can access your activity feed, achievements, friends list, activity alerts, messages, watch Game DVR clips, and connect to your Xbox One," Microsoft writes on its Xbox blog. "Over the coming weeks, we’ll update and add more Xbox features to the preview including OneGuide integration, Live TV Streaming, Game Hubs, and more."

Microsoft is also making the preview versions of its new touch-friendly Office app available to Windows Phone users (this is also available through the Store Beta app).

These apps are very similar to the iOS and Android Office suite, but they carry minor tweaks to accommodate the Windows interface on mobile.

The build also includes a new camera app and preview versions of what will be the stock music and video apps. The camera app has new HDR, video stabilization and facial recognition features. The music preview app allows you to pull in music from your OneDrive account and has a new design to make it easier to switch between songs. The video preview app supports Xbox Video and syncs videos between the console and phones.

Microsoft also increased the lineup of devices eligible to get early access to the Windows 10 Mobile software. The Lumia 930 and Lumia Icon, the Lumia 640 and 640XL and the HTC One M8 for Windows are all good to go for the technical preview.