In this feature, we offer you an in depth guide to the additions
and improvements that are arriving on Windows Phone 8 thanks to the
advent of the Microsoft GDR2 and Nokia Lumia Amber software
updates. Both the GDR2 and Lumia Amber updates have started rolling
out, but are not yet available for all devices. The majority of Windows
Phone 8 devices are expected to receive the update before the end of
September.
Microsoft's GDR2 update is the second major update for Windows Phone 8, following on from GDR1 (Portico) earlier this year, and is expected to be followed by GDR3 later this year.
In terms of new features, GDR2 is a relatively small update, but it
does add a number of important enablers, some of which Nokia has used in
its Lumia Amber update to add new features.The GDR2 update takes the OS version number up to 8.0.10327.77 or 8.0.10328.78 (this can be seen in the 'about' module of Settings app). Microsoft has published its own change log for GDR2, but it is relatively brief, and neglects to mention some of the more interesting minor parts of the update. Below we list, in detail, all the known additions, changes, and improvements that are part of both the GDR2 update and the manufacturer specific updates.
Microsoft's GDR2 update in detail
FM radio returns to Windows Phone with the GDR2 update. As on Windows Phone 7 devices, the FM radio is accessed via the Music+Videos hub. Do note that FM radio is not available on all phones as it requires a connection between the FM radio chipset and the 3.5mm audio jack so that headset / headphones can act as an aerial. Our feature, FM radio return to Windows Phone 8 in GDR2, has the full run down on this addition.Xbox Music receives a number of small updates in GDR2. It is now easier to download, pin, and select music, and meta data is more accurate (i.e. song and album information). It's now also possible to add songs to Kid's Corner from within the Music+Video hub (long press on album). The start up time of the app has been improved and the use of streaming music is more reliable.
Data Sense is now available to more, but not all users (varies by operator and country). Data Sense lets you track the amount of data you are consuming and set usage limits. Our feature, Wider Data Sense availability in Windows Phone 8 GDR2, explains how Data Sense works and what you can use it for.
The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) stack has been optimised in GDR2. This means that apps like Lync and Skype should be more stable and have better performance (e.g. Skype calls more reliably trigger a ringing/incoming call event).
A number of improvements have been made to Internet Explorer. The most notable is improved media playback reliability. There's no change to the HTML 5 test score for the browser, but there are improvement in performance. These are most noticeable when loading large or complex web pages.
Support for the CardDAV and CalDAV protocols for syncing to Google has been added in GDR2. This means that Windows Phone users can continue to connect to and sync with Google's Mail (Gmail), Calendar and Contact services. Our feature, CalDAV and CardDAV (Google) support in Windows Phone 8 GDR2, explains how this works and the back story to Google Sync on Windows Phone.
A default camera app can now be set in the camera+photos settings. The default camera will automatically start when you hold down the camera capture key on the side of the device. This is useful in Lumia devices because it lets you choose between the standard Windows Phone Camera app, Nokia Smart Camera, and Nokia Pro Camera (on supported devices).
The Me Live Tile now supports high resolution profile pictures. This is most noticeable when using a double wide size Live Tile on devices with higher resolution screens (e.g. HTC 8X, Nokia Lumia 92x). In some cases it may be necessary to update your profile picture in order to see a change.
Map data can now be updated in place. This means that only new or changed data will be downloaded when updating map data. For example, we noted that during the last map data update the download size for the United Kingdom was 295.9MB on the Lumia 920 (running Windows Phone 8 GDR1), but only 61MB on the Lumia 925 (running Windows Phone GDR2).
Support for Bluetooth SMART (also know as Bluetooth Low Energy) has been added in GDR2 (select devices). Bluetooth Smart is normally used in low power accessories (e.g. activity trackers and smart watches). However, there are currently no Bluetooth SMART accessories that support Windows Phone (almost all such accessories require a companion app of some kind). Updated apps are expected to be released in the next few months, and both Nokia and HTC are expected to release their own Bluetooth SMART accessories.
A number of APIs are fixed in GDR2. For example, there's a fix for ResourceIntensiveTask, an API that allows for allows apps to perform processing even when the main apps is not in the foreground. It is typically used for tasks that need to run infrequently, but need to run for longer periods than provided for by PeriodicTask. The app Podcast Lounge uses this API to enable unattended downloads (i.e. podcast download overnight without having to start the app).
Manufacturer specific updates
Each of the main Windows Phone manufacturers (Nokia, Samsung, and HTC) are delivering updates on top of the Windows Phone 8 update.Samsung has not released a specific set of updates that it is including with GDR2, but it has released a number of excluisve apps that appear to be enabled by GDR2. For example, Samsung has published a Video Trimmer app allow that you to do the most basic type of video editing (cutting a video to the section you specify). Samsung is also thought to have included some Qualcomm chipset optimisations with its software update that improve performance and power management.
Similarly, HTC has not released any specific information about the updates it has included on top of GDR2, but they are thought to be minor. One known customisation is the inclusion of a "delete temporary files" link on the phone storage Settings app module on HTC devices.
By contrast, Nokia's GDR2 update, which has been codenamed "Amber" is substantial, arguably adding more functionality than the GDR2 update itself. We cover the Lumia Amber update in its own section below.
Nokia Lumia Amber update in detail
Nokia's new image processing algorithms, which premiered on the Nokia Lumia 925 and 1020, come to all of Nokia's other Windows Phone 8 devices with the Amber update. The exact details vary from device to device (dependent on camera module technology), but the end result is an across the board improvement in both photo and video capture results, as we found in a recent comparison between the camera capture performance of Lumia 920 (GDR1) and Lumia 925 (GDR2 + Amber).The improvements come into two main categories: benefits from improved processing and benefits from a wider settings range. Nokia says the general aim of the first is to "keep things as natural as possible in all conditions" and our own experience suggest captured photos have improved colour accuracy, a better level of detail, and less of a "soft" focus feel. A good example of the second is the expansion in ISO setting range on selected devices, which gives better low light performance (e.g. Lumia 920 gets ISO 800 to 3200).
A Lumia colour profiles module is added to the display section of the display+touch Settings app, which allows you to change the way the screen displays colours. A "colour saturation" control offers a range from "natural", through "enhanced", to "vivid"; while a "colour temperature" control offers a range from "cool", through "neutral", to "warm". Both the colour saturation and colour temperature options have 10 gradations, allowing a fine level of control.
The flip to silence feature returns to Lumia devices running Amber, having previously been available on earlier devices (e.g. Lumia 900). The feature can be activated on the enhancements page of the audio Settings app module (Settings -> audio -> enhancements). With flip to silence turned on, turning over the phone, in response to an incoming call, will silence the ringer. The incoming call remains active, so it is still possible to answer the call.
Call and SMS blocking has been enabled by the Lumia Amber update. A call+SMS filter module is added to the Settings app after installing the latest version of the extras+info app. The call+SMS filter Settings app module lets you turn blocking on and off, viewed blocked numbers, view how many calls and messages have been blocked, and to configure advanced settings. Numbers can be added to the blocked number list from either the Telephone app (call history page), or from the Messaging app threads index page). In both cases, a long press on the number in question will pop-up a menu with "block number..." being one of the options.
Battery life is improved for devices running Lumia Amber. The level of improvement will depend on the device and usage patterns, but our own experience suggests you can expect to see up to a 10% improvement in battery life. This is primarily due to optimisations in hardware integration (i.e. device drivers, chipset power management, and lower level platform functionality).
Lumia Amber update feature availability by device
As noted above, not all the features of the Lumia Amber update are available on all devices. The table below summarises feature availability by device. As you would expect it is the lower cost devices that miss out on certain features, or which have a reduced experience. The differences are relatively minor, and are all related to hardware capability, rather than being restricted in software.
Some of the updates listed above require
the installation of new apps or the latest version of an existing app.
The QR codes shown below are shortcuts to the respective apps in the
Windows Phone Store. They can be scanned by a Windows Phone device using
the Bing Vision (eye) feature of the Bing (search) app.
Nokia Smart Camera: |
Nokia Pro Camera: |
Nokia Video Trimmer: |
Nokia Video Upload:
|
extras+info: |
display+touch: |
Availability
Windows Phone 8 GDR2 is now rolling out. The availability of the update varies from device to device and from country to country. Most Samsung Windows Phone devices have now received the GDR2 update. Around half of HTC's Windows Phone devices have also received the update, but some updates are still waiting for operator approval.Nokia has now started rolling out the Lumia Amber update, which ships on top of Microsoft's GDR2 update. Nokia is providing a full availability list for Lumia Amber here, which will be updated as the software becomes available for more devices. The list is divided into countries and sub divided into device and operator variants. The country variant is the generic (SIM-free) product for the country in question (i.e. devices without operator lock and/or branding).
Nokia says that while the Lumia Amber roll out is starting with the Lumia 920 and 820 in select countries, together with the Lumia 521, 810 and 928 in the US, it expects the updates to be available for all devices by the end of September.
ΠΗΓΗ: What's new in the GDR2 and Lumia Amber Windows Phone updates?
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