Microsoft's HoloLens tends to be a little behind the regular versions of Windows when it comes to Insider builds, but the time has finally come for the first taste of Redstone 5 to arrive on the headset. Build 17720 was quietly released on Friday, and it includes a host of new features and improvements, including projection to Miracast-enabled devices, new notifications and more. Here's the changelog:
| Feature | Details | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Stop video capture from the Start or quick actions menu | If you start video capture from the Start menu or quick actions menu, you’ll be able to stop recording from the same place. (Don’t forget, you can always do this with voice commands too.) | To start recording, select Start > Video. To stop recording, select Start > Stop video. |
| Project to a Miracast-enabled device | Project your HoloLens content to a nearby Surface device or TV/Monitor if using Microsoft Display adapter | On Start, select Connect. Select the device you want to project to. |
| New notifications | View and respond to notification toasts on HoloLens, just like you do on a PC. | You’ll now see notifications from apps that provide them. Gaze to respond to or dismiss them (or if you’re in an immersive experience, use the bloom gesture). |
| HoloLens overlays (file picker, keyboard, dialogs, etc.) | You’ll now see overlays such as the keyboard, dialogs, file picker, etc. when using immersive apps. | When you’re using an immersive app, input text, select a file from the file picker, or interact with dialogs without leaving the app. |
| Visual feedback overlay UI for volume change | When you use the volume up/down buttons on your HoloLens you’ll see a visual display of the volume level. | Adjust the device volume using the volume up/down buttons located on the right arm of the HoloLens. Use the visual display to track the volume level. |
| New UI for device boot | A loading indicator was added during the boot process to provide visual feedback that the system is loading. | Reboot your device to see the new loading indicator—it’s between the "Hello" message and the Windows boot logo. |
| Share UX: Nearby Sharing | Addition of the Windows Nearby Sharing experience, allowing you to share a capture with a nearby Windows device. | Capture a photo or video on HoloLens (or use the share button from an app such as Microsoft Edge). Select a nearby Windows device to share with. |
| Share from Microsoft Edge | Share button is now available on Microsoft Edge windows on HoloLens. | In Microsoft Edge, select Share. Use the HoloLens share picker to share web content. |
Developers are also getting a couple of improvements in this new build, such as support for the Holographic Camera Capture UI API which allows them to create a way for users to start a camera or video capture from inside other apps. Mixed Reality Capture has also been improved so you'll no longer see black corners around the content of video captures. There's also a host of improvements for commercial customers.
This is also the first build to include support for Chinese and Japanese localizations, but you'll need to sideload the operating system using the Windows Device Recovery Tool, as there is no way to switch languages inside the OS. Bear in mind that this will delete all your personal data.
The new build improves upon some key aspects of the HoloLens, specifically bringing it up to par with regular versions of Windows in many ways. Nearby sharing was recently added to Windows 10, but features such as the Share button in Edge and notifications have been around for a while, so it's good to see the holographic headset catch up. The public release of Redstone 5 should happen sometime this fall, presumably after the PC version.
Via: On MSFT
