Microsoft Announces Lumia Cyan with Windows Phone 8.1 Update Release
Today, Microsoft has officially announced, that Windows Phone 8-based Lumia owners will begin to receive the new Lumia Cyan software update. Officially introduced back in April, the platform update arrives on devices with the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system inside, as well as with a series of Lumia enhancements and special features.
While many users already had the taste of the Windows Phone 8.1, Lumia Cyan offers a series of entirely new enhancements that will be able to greatly improve the overall phone experience.
According to the company, the update began to roll out today, and will be available on every device running Windows Phone 8 in a matter of weeks. Users will receive a notification once the latest firmware refresh arrives on the smartphones. They will also receive a third column of customized Live Tiles, along with the Start Screen backgrounds, improvements to the people hub, Action center, Wi-Fi Sense, and the Word Flow keyboard.
In the US, Cortana will also be available as part of the update, along with new Device Search, and the latest Internet Explorer 11 update. All these are Windows Phone 8.1 enhancements, but more will come as part of Lumia Cyan.
Furthermore, the update will come with Nokia Device Hub, so users can keep track of their accessories much easier. For Lumia 520, Lumia 525, Lumia 620 or Lumia 720 users, a free upgrade to global HERE Drive+ will be included in the new release.
Handsets will also offer more powerful business tools. This includes Office for Windows Phone, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive, and Skype, along with full device encryption, for added security.
New enterprise specs will also arrive on the devices, among which the option to send digitally signed and encrypted emails to people outside a company (S/MIME), as well as access to a company's virtual private network (VPN).
A series of specific features will be available as well on Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon devices, including Nokia Rich Recording and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 sound, continuous autofocus, better RAW DNG images, Living Images, and improved low-light performance. What's more, Microsoft's Screen Share technology would allow users to project content from their Lumia 1520 or Lumia Icon to connected screens.
