Nokia starts rollout of Windows Phone 8 Amber update for Lumia smartphones

Nokia's long-awaited Amber update for its Lumia Windows Phone 8-based smartphones has finally started rolling.

The Amber update is built upon the latest update for Windows Phone 8 from Microsoft with some exclusive features added by Nokia. The update will be applicable for current line of Lumia smartphones that includes the Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 720, Nokia Lumia 620 and Nokia Lumia 520.

The new Nokia Lumia Amber software update adds some new and improved features like Nokia Glance Screen with the standby clock and a better imaging experience, a new FM Radio player, improvements to Xbox Music and the default browser, Internet Explorer for Nokia Lumia users.

In a blog post, Nokia has noted the details of phones to get the Amber upgrade and what features will be included on each phone. The blog post also notes that the rollout starts now for the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in selected countries as well as the Lumia 521, Lumia 810, and Lumia 928 in the US. Exact delivery timings will vary by region, phone and operator, but Nokia says the update will reach Lumia 520, Lumia 620, Lumia 720, Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 users by the end of September.

The biggest improvement with the update is to camera capabilities of the phones that will now feature the all-new Nokia Smart Camera mode that debuted on the Nokia Lumia 925. It allows users to create high quality images and offers the ability to take ten shots at a time and then edit with tools and effects like Best Shot, Action Shot and Motion Focus.

Another addition will be the Pro Camera app that was introduced with the Lumia 1020 and it will be rolled out to Lumia 920, Lumia 925 and Lumia 928.

Other features include flip to silence, double-tap to unlock, storage check and faster map updates. Another major new feature is Glance Screen, that brings a clock to your screen when the phone is inactive, along with indicators to show the battery level when running on a low battery or the phone is charging, and whether your phone is set to 'silent'. Nokia says that Glance Screen will be available for all Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices except the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 625, which have a smaller display memory.

The Amber update is the biggest change to hit Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones since they were launched. The update was announced at the time of the launch of Nokia Lumia 925, that shipped with the update pre-installed.

New Windows Phone 8 GDR 2 update rolling out - select non Nokia phones

More than two months after Microsoft announced the GDR 2 update for Windows Phone 8, the software update appears to be finally rolling out to HTC 8X and Samsung Ativ S smartphones.

Various online reports including one by WP Central(http://www.wpcentral.com/htc-8x-getting-gdr2-os-update-today) and comments on online forums by several users have confirmed the development.

Users who own an HTC 8X phone can check for the availability of the update through the 'Phone Update' option in the phone's Settings menu. The update can be downloaded over the air or through Windows Phone desktop software.

It's worth pointing out that the update has not yet hit Nokia's phones as the company is expected to roll out its own Amber update that also brings some additional functionality, in August.

However, the update is expected to reach other Non-Nokia phones later this month.

The update brings features like FM radio and adds CalDAV and CardDav support, which extend support for Gmail and other Google services. It activates FM radio in handsets that feature capable hardware. It's interesting to note that Windows Phone 7.x supported FM radio while Windows Phone 8 did not have this feature until this update. Nokia's new lineup of smartphones (barring the Lumia 620) sport FM hardware that will become functional after the update. The HTC 8X also features an FM tuner that gets activated after the update.

As we pointed out earlier, the update brings support for the protocols CalDAV (for Calendars) and CardDAV (for Contacts), which, when combined with IMAP (for Email, already in Windows Phone 8) will be able to fully replace the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol, to synchronise email, contacts, and calendar with Google and other services that support these protocols. The update's rollout was expected as Google had earlier announced that it would cease support for its Google Sync service for new users starting 30th January 2013, later extending the date to 31st July. This would've meant Windows Phone users won't have been able to setup their Google account on the OS beyond this 'sunset date'.

The update also brings some changes to Xbox Music making it easier to select, download, and pin tunes in Xbox Music and improves the accuracy of song information and other metadata. It will also extend the Data Sense feature of Windows Phone 8 to more telecom operators.

Nokia confirms 41MP sensor for device announced on July 11 event

At this moment it doesn’t matter what kind of hardware Nokia brings to the table on Windows Phone, It’s all eyes on Microsoft to keep improving the OS and bring us some much sought-after features and UI changes.

Nokia has pretty much confirmed the 41MP sensor on incoming EOS Lumia phone without totally spoiling all the fun from the Zoom Reinvented Nokia event in July 11 when we all expect to see and hear about Nokia EOS.

This confirmation of the sensor size comes from additional teaser published on Nokia Conversations that includes the picture above and text below.

Earlier this month, we invited media to join us in New York on July 11th. We are happy to offer Conversations readers the opportunity to watch the latest news unfold over a live webcast, right here on the blog.

There’s a long list of reasons why you should be interested, including …

1.     You can watch it at home and you’re in charge of the refreshments… Beer maybe?

2.     You can watch it in bed, in your most comfortable PJs.

3.     You’ll be able to convince your grandchildren that you were there.

4.     You’re looking for originality.

5.     You’ll be able to stream it on your Lumia.

6.     You want to join the conversation.

7.     …

- Nokia Conversations

We can go on, but this blog is called Conversations for a reason. Help us fill out the list by adding a comment below. Why will you zoom in on July 11th?

The webcast begins at 11am EDT. Join us here on Conversations.

There’s some speculation about the final design of EOS between the aluminium and Lumia 920 like design. I firmly believe the aluminium design has nothing to do with EOS and at worst is not even related to final product or Nokia in general.

Specifications for EOS are generally accepted to be something along the lines of this:

·         41 MP camera with Xenon flash

·         Nokia Pro Camera  software

·         32 GB internal

·         OLED Screen 1280 x 768

·         WP8 V 8.0.10322.71 (OS version on the profotype)

·         FM radio

·         Flip to silence

·         Takes a 35 MP picture and a 5 MP picture at the same time one to save one to share

·         No SD card

·         About 1 mm thinner than Lumia 920 with a big camera hump

·         No visible OS changes

One big mystery still surrounding EOS is the system on chip and how Nokia has been able marry the hardware with the 41MP sensor that is not even close to been supported by any of the system on chips available for Windows Phone at the moment.

Will Nokia have some kind of custom solution as on 808 PureView or will we see a major surprise with EOS having Snapdragon 800 inside? I’m inclined to believe we will see custom solution, but your guess is as good as mine.