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.
