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Could Windows 10 be set for a smartphone launch at last?Microsoft is looking to kick-start the mobile version of its Windows 10 software with the launch of an all-new package within the next few weeks, it has been claimed.
The computing giant will be releasing a smartphone-specific version of its PC software called Windows 10 for Phones later this month, according to leading analyst Paul Thurrott.
The release will finally bring Microsoft's mobile platform up to speed with its other divisions, which have been able to benefit from the improvements brought by Windows 10 for over a year.
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Microsoft had invested heavily into smartphones before recently cutting jobsThurrott says that several patches and updates released on the Windows 10 Feedback Hub, including tweaks to improve compatibility with Cortana and Bluetooth devices, mean that a release is very close.
It had been speculated that Microsoft would be releasing Windows 10 Mobile on August 9th, after a since-deleted tweet from the Lumia India team suggested this would be the case - however that date has now passed.
It now looks more likely that the update will be released within the next few weeks, following the first set of fixes for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which began rolling out last week.
The future of Windows 10 on mobile had been called into question in recent months, after a long period of struggle for Microsoft's smartphone division.
The company revealed it would be cutting nearly three thousand jobs from its smartphone operations last month following a long period of decline.
Microsoft had already said it would be laying off 1,850 other workers back in May as it looked to streamline its many operations.
The cuts mean that the company has now let go 10 per cent of its total workforce in the past few years.
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The Windows 10 Anniversary Update was released last weekHowever speculation in recent months has suggested Microsoft is readying the launch of a "Surface Phone" mobile device, with a release date mooted for next year.
This follows the success of the company's own-brand Surface book laptop and Surface Pro products, both of which have received impressive critical acclaim since release.
The Surface Phone could even be a hybrid device, with leaked images suggesting it will have a keyboard cover that allows users to type, similar to Microsoft's Surface Pro devices.
Last week, Microsoft revealed that it was working on two new updates for Windows 10, codenamed Redstone 2 and Redstone 3, for sometime in 2017.
The Redmond firm did not detail what new features are planned for the next update, which is rumoured to drop to Windows 10 users before spring 2017.
Microsoft is believed to be experimenting with a number of upgrades to Cortana for its next Redstone update, including allowing the voice assistant to float around the operating system.
Microsoft could allow Cortana to follow users as they navigate around the operating system, surfacing useful information based on what users are viewing on-screen.
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