Windows phone 8.1 Release Date, News and Updates: Love your Windows Phone? Windows Phone 8.1 Update Released, What’s new? Find out here!

Windows phone 8.1 Release Date, News and Updates: Love your Windows Phone? Windows Phone 8.1 Update Released, What's new? Find out here!

Microsoft stepped up their game as they finally rolled out the free Windows Phone 8.1 update in the UK last 24th of June. The update also went available for Nokia Lumia phones last 15th of July. The Windows Phone 8.1 OS will also be available by default for future Lumia releases.

What's with all the hype? The thing is, this is not just an ordinary update. Rather, major fixes and additional features are included in the Windows Phone 8.1 update.

One of the big features it added is Cortana, which is like Siri for Apple users. Avid and seasoned gamers will instantly recognize the name Cortana as it is based on a character from the popular video game "Halo." Cortana also works a lot like Siri; she acts as your personal assistant. Cortana can access apps, set alarms, send messages to specific persons, post a Facebook status, add a tweet, search for something and a lot more. You can even use your native language as long as it is supported. She tracks your data to further improve her services as your personal digital assistant.

The action centre, a widely requested feature, is also finally added to the update. It works similarly to Android's swipe down screen to access notifications and other controls such as setting the Airplane mode, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Another addition is the Quiet Hours feature. It works as a time-enabled silence option for your Windows phone. You can set what time you want your phone to be "quiet," shutting out noise or notifications coming from it. Although, calls and texts can be configured to alert you still.

Other minor features such as a customizable start screen are also added. You can now use your personal photos as the background on the said start screen. The Word Flow keyboard is also added which works more like the Swype keyboard. Data usage can now be better monitored and managed as the update also improved the Data Sense feature. Wi-Fi sense, another new feature, instantly connects you to free Wi-Fi hotspots near you. Storage Sense, yet another new feature, will make transferring files from the internal memory and SD Card seamless.

The Windows Phone 8.1 update is certainly big and packs a couple of useful features. These may certainly put Microsoft back on track with the smartphone market.

 

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