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Nokia Lumia Black update starts rolling out globally, adds App Folder and more

Nokia Lumia Black update starts rolling out globally, adds App Folder and more

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 10 January 2014 11:00 IST

Nokia has finally started rolling out the Lumia Black update for its Windows Phone 8 line-up. The company notes that the new Lumia Black update brings a host of new features, improvements in imaging, new apps and app updates to the current Windows Phone 8 devices.

The Nokia Lumia Black update will be rolling out to devices via over-the-air (OTA) and include Nokia Lumia 520, Nokia Lumia 525, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 720, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 925, and Nokia Lumia 1020, according Nokia's official Conversations blog.

Further, the software page of Nokia claims that the update is currently available in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North America, with other regions to follow soon. The Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 925 will be the first Lumia devices to receive the update, while other models will be receiving the update in the coming weeks.

The latest Lumia Black update introduces new features like App Folder, which allows users to group similar apps into a folder (a tile) on the Start screen; an updated Nokia Glance screen 2.0 will allow users to keep notifications for phone, messages, email, outlook, and calendar alongside any apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp; Nokia Refocus which comes with Lytro-like features that automatically changes the focal point on an image, once it has been processed on the Lumia device, and Nokia Beamer, which allows sharing images, documents, and presentations to any HTML5-enabled display. The blog post notes that both Nokia Beamer and Nokia Refocus features are coming to all the Lumia device with 1GB of RAM or upwards.

Also included in the Lumia Black update is the Nokia Storyteller app, which debuted on the company's flagship phablet, the Lumia 1520 and also on the company's first tablet, the Lumia 2520 launched in 2013. The Nokia's new Storyteller feature organizes clicked images into stories with chronological order using HERE location details.

In addition, the update also includes the Nokia Camera app which combines two popular apps, the Nokia Pro Cam and Nokia Smart Cam into one app. The new Nokia Camera app brings new editing and sharing features to the Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices. The Nokia Camera app includes new camera algorithms and comes with a new feature dubbed colour pop. It also sports a smart mode which can shoot a number of images in a moment and allows removing unnecessary objects form the images.

Commenting on the announcement, Samuli Hanninen, vice president of software program management for Nokia's Smart Devices business said, "Nokia Lumia Black updates the imaging experiences on your Lumia and makes using the Windows Phone even more fluid. New App Folders and the ability to close apps in multitasker are my personal favourites. I also encourage everyone to try out the Nokia Refocus app that introduces a whole new dimension to photography," says Samuli Hanninen, vice president of software program management for Nokia's Smart Devices business.

At Nokia World, the Finnish giant announced that the company was working on a firmware update dubbed Lumia Black which would be built on Microsoft's third Windows Phone update and that it would bring the above newly revealed software features to its existing Window Phone 8 smartphones. The Lumia 1520 and Lumia 1320 are currently the only devices to feature the new firmware.

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Further reading: Microsoft, Nokia, Nokia Lumia 1020, Nokia Lumia 1320, Nokia Lumia 1520, Nokia Lumia 520, Nokia Lumia 525, Nokia Lumia 620, Nokia Lumia 625, Nokia Lumia 720, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 925, Nokia Lumia 928, Nokia Lumia Black Update, Windows Phone

Ketan Pratap

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Ketan Pratap is the editor at Gadgets 360 - with over 12 years of experience covering the technology domain. With a breadth and depth of knowledge in the field, he's done extensive work across news, features, reviews, and opinion pieces. But what's truly inspiring about Ketan is how he spends his free time. He's often found gazing at snow-capped mountains from over 20,000 feet while sitting on the hood of his car, taking in the breathtaking beauty of nature. His passion for the great ...More