14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, Redmond-based software giant Microsoft and its hardware partners started delivering the Windows Phone 7.8 update to older WP devices, and the changelog for this platform release is now available online.
Various Nokia users have already received the update on their Nokia Lumia 610, 710, 800 and 900 smartphones, while others have had the chance to purchase the newer Nokia Lumia 510 with Windows Phone 7.8 loaded on top right from the start.
Some of the changes included in the new update were announced a few months ago, yet Microsoft did not reveal all of them until after the new OS started to arrive on handsets, it seems.
The list of changes in the new OS version include:
- New Start Screen. Provides resizable small, medium, and large Live Tiles so you can customize your Start experience in new ways. - Accent colors. Expands the number of available accent colors to 20. - Lock screen. Improves the lock screen experience with accidental wipe protection features and the Bing image of the day wallpaper. - Marketplace and Xbox. Expands Windows Phone Marketplace and Xbox support to new countries and regions. - Fonts. Enhances the Chinese font and improves the appearance of Arabic and other languages. - Other improvements. Includes many other improvements to Windows Phone.
According to Microsoft, the new software update is not available for all smartphones in all markets, yet no further details on this have been provided.
Furthermore, the company notes that some of the new features included in this software might not work on devices with only 256 MB of RAM, or that they might work differently on these smartphones.
Microsoft also explains that, while Windows Phone 7.8 was chosen as the official product name for this platform release, the software will arrive on handsets as version 7.10.8858.136. Users can verify this through going to Settings > About > More Info following the update.