Windows Phone 7.8 Roundup; What to Expect

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the upcoming (hopefully soon- seeing how it’s been released to RTM) WP 7.8 update for the first Generation of Lumias, so this is just a quick post clarifying some things.

Who Will Get it?

Everyone! All Wp 7.0/7.5 device will be update to 7.8; for Nokia this means the Lumia 510, 610, 710, 800 and  900 and any other low end 7.5 devices that might come in the future.

When Will we Get it?

No body really knows for sure, the latest rumors are that WP7.8 has been finished by MSFT and has been delivered to OEM’s for Final tweakings and changes; the most likely release date according to multiple rumors is Late December-Early January.

What’s Coming?

This part is a little tricky so let’s split it into what’s confirmed and what’s rumored.

Confirmed:

• New Start screen, to match WP8.
• Ringtone maker app
• Contact Share via Bluetooth- Lumia exclusive
• Media transfer Via Bluetooth- Lumia exclusive. (details are unconfirmed, possibly receive/Send only)
• Cinemagraph and Smartshoot - Lumia exclusives
• Rooms Feature
• Xbox Music
• Calendar Sharing?

*Note the last 3 are Semi-confirmed having been posted by Microsoft Italy on Facebook, but you can’t always depend on what regional Facebok pages say.

Rumored:

• Lenses Feature
• Increased number of system/theme colors (20 total)
• Customizable Lock screen (Choose which apps notify you on lock screen) OR Live lock-screen wallpapers.
• IE9 (not IE10 like WP8) with enhanced features
• WiFi fix to stay on when screen is locked. (tweeted by Joe Belifore a couple of days ago)

Will This be The Last WP 7.X Update?

Probably not, a recently leaked internal Nokia slide promises continued updates past WP 7.8, with 18 months of additional support.

All in All WP 7.8 is shaping up to be a pretty decent update; and I’m sure there are a couple more features we haven’t heard/seen yet (hopefully some gallery fixes are included). As far as being “left behind” for early adopters it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be an issue, seeing how most of the SOFTWARE features of WP8 should be coming to WP 7.8.

Now let us have it please.

Tags: featured

Category: Lumia, Nokia, Windows Phone