Finnish handset maker Nokia has released the much-awaited Lumia Black update, with a host of value-added features, to all the Windows Phone 8 OS-powered devices.
The new firmware will be made available to Lumia 1020, 925, 920, 820, 720, 625, 620 and 520. As of now, it has been initially released to Lumia 925 and 1020; the other models are expected to receive the update soon. [Note: Recently released Lumia 1520, 1320 and Lumia 525 all ship with Windows Phone 8 with Lumia Black update out-of-the box]
To check the update manually on the phone
Go to Settings >> Phone update >> Check for updates
What's new in the Lumia Black update?
App Folder: This is a new start screen feature which allows users to group all similar applications under a single roof. If users have Facebook, Twitter, Gmail applications, they can put these apps in one folder for easy access. They can do the same thing for the multiple navigation, as well as camera apps in the phone. [Note: available to all the listed Lumia phones]
Bluetooth LE (Low Energy): Once updated with the new firmware, all Window Phone 8 devices will be compatible with companion gadgets line Adidas MiCoach and other Bluetooth LE-based accessory gadgets.
Nokia Beamer: With this feature, users can project documents and presentations to any HTML 5-enabled screen by scanning QR (Quick Response) codes. [Note: available only to Lumia phones with minimum 1GB RAM]
Nokia Camera: This app which was exclusive to PureView-based Lumia phones will not be available to mid-range and budget (Lumia 520) devices. Nokia Camera is the amalgamation of the company's top two photography apps - Pro Camera and Smart Camera - packed into one feature-rich camera app.
Nokia Glance screen v2.0: This feature is a tweaked version of the screen-lock settings tool 'Glance' which came with Amber update a few months ago. Now, the new update brings important notifications - Facebook, Twitter, text messages, email, missed calls - on the screen. Earlier, only 'time' used to be visible on the display.
Nokia Story Teller: This feature helps you arrange photos by date and geography, and then place them on an interactive map to create stories using the images.
Nokia Refocus: This feature is truly an amazing application which lets users to first capture a snap shot and then re-focus the image to create an interactive photo.
Check out the official video detailing the new Lumia Black update on the phone:
