Designed to fix a handful of issues with the company's flagship smartphones, the software update has launched for public download in the US and Canada today, but users in other countries will have to wait until February to get their hands on its promised improvements.
One of the biggest changes to come with the Lumia update is in the firmware for the Lumia 920's camera, designed to address a flaw in the smartphone that would lead to blurred images even in a well-lit environment. With the updated firmware, Nokia claims all images should be clear and crisp - as you would expect of a high-end smartphone handset.
Other Nokia-specific changes include tweaks to improve the battery life, often a source of complaints with modern high-powered smartphone devices. Using the latest firmware, Nokia claims that battery life will be significantly improved - although the company has not backed that statement up with any firm figures of how much longer the devices will run per charge. Nokia also claims that the phones' start-up process will take significantly less time post-update.
As well as the Nokia-specific features of the update, Microsoft has also thrown in some new features for the underlying Windows Phone 8 operating system, including the ability to reject incoming calls with a pre-prepared SMS message and enhancements to the reliability of the operating system's Bluetooth connectivity. Fixes for random reboots and email synchronisation issues are also expected to be included.
The update is due to launch in Europe in February 2013 as an over-the-air update, with no word from Nokia on the delay to the promised December launch or why US Lumia owners are getting the update two months ahead of the rest of the world.
Author: Gareth Halfacree
