Earlier today we covered some details on the Nokia’s Lumia Black update that is beginning to rollout in China and other countries around the globe. We now have more details on new features within Lumia Black and the availability of the rollout. Information ahoy!
The Lumia Black firmware already comes on devices like the Lumia 1520, but now it’s rolling out for the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 925 smartphones. Other devices will get the update in the coming weeks. Nokia has a support page on their site where you can check on the status for both the Amber and Lumia Black updates depending on your region and carrier.
What’s new in the Lumia Black update? There’s a couple of new features and improvements in imaging. Look forward to things like:
- App Folder
- Nokia Glance Screen 2.0
- Bluetooth LE
- Nokia Refocus
- Nokia Beamer
- Nokia Storyteller
- Nokia Camera
Folders!
The biggest surprise is the addition of folders into Windows Phone. App folders will allow users to group similar apps and settings into one folder as a tile on your Start screen. A mod from Nokia Conversations replied in the comments of the corresponding blog post announcing the rollout and said that “we’ll bring more details on that in a future post” when answering how app folders will work. This is a heavily requested feature among many Windows Phone users and those running Lumia Black will be able to take advantage of it.
Samsung previously delivered Folders to their Windows Phone users via an app, and we imagine this will be the case here. So stay tuned.
Glance 2.0 and more
The second version of Nokia’s Glance Screen improves upon the core functionality and feature set from when it initially launched. The version in Lumia Black allows you to see notifications from your favorite apps like Twitter, Facebook, or WhatsApp. All devices with Lumia Black will also have Bluetooth Low Energy enabled (BT4.0). This allows for devices like heart rate monitors or fitness trackers to keep a stable connection and not drain the battery for either device.
There are a handful of apps from Nokia that require Lumia Black to work. Apps like Storyteller, Beamer, and Refocus will be available to those with Lumia Black. There are certain limitations for what some of those apps can do on some hardware. For example, Nokia Refocus will only work with devices that have at least 1GB of RAM. Of course Nokia Camera now works from the Lumia 520 to Lumia 1520, but it really sings on higher end hardware.
In terms of imaging, Lumia Black improves image quality (especially in the Lumia 1020) with a new set of algorithms. Images should look more natural with reduced noise in low-light situations.
When do you get the update? Soon. Like we said, it’s rolling out right now to the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 925 globally. Check your specific carrier on this support page.
Source: Nokia Conversations, Lumia Black availability
