Folks waiting for the download of Windows Phone 7.8 to finally hit the block will be pleased to know that the update is all set to be doled out in early 2013, contrary to rumors that it was going to arrive today. Meant for devices running the 7.5 version of the OS, this upgrade will bring fresh features to the mobile platform, some of which will include the ones that were introduced by the recently launched WP8 operating system.
One of them is the new Start screen which has received quite some attention ever since its introduction through WP8 devices. Terry Myerson of the Windows Phone blog has admitted to have tried the trait on his Lumia 900, and has claimed that his handset started feeling like a completely new phone owing to the resizable Live Tiles. These little additions grant even faster access to the preferred stuff like favorite people, photos and apps.
Furthermore, as compared to WP7.5, Windows Phone 7.8 will kick in twice the number of theme and accent shades. That means a total of 20 such hues will be available for users to splash their profiles with. The lock screen on the other hand, will see some changes as well. Firstly, the option for automatically displaying the Bing Picture of the Day will be made available. And the ‘A1B2C3’ PIN/password challenge will also be introduced so as to prevent accidental device wipes on phones that are connected to Exchange accounts.
WP7.5 and WP7.8 devices will soon have a number of popular apps coming their way. While the extremely popular Words with Friends and Draw Something have already been dished out, games like Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars will soon be deployed on the OS. Additionally, the new version of the OS will even be expanding the amount of markets where customers are able buy apps and use the Xbox service.
About the status of the Windows Phone 7.8 update, Microsoft has affirmed that it is ‘working closely’ with its hardware and carrier partners right now. Once tested and approved, it will start being rolled out to ‘as many devices as possible’ in early 2013.