Microsoft Announces GDR2 Update For Windows Phone 8; Update Schedule Also Leaked

Microsoft’s entry into the smartphone market has never been a stroll in the park. The company struggled to find a stable customer base with its Windows Phone 7 OS. However, it pinned its hopes on Windows Phone 8 to rescue it from its misery. Things so far have been bleak (but getting better now), as the company along with Nokia struggles to obtain results. The lack of apps offered in the store is believed to be the reason for its meagre adoption, according to several analysts. This hasn’t stopped Microsoft from continuing to invest time and effort on development of its OS. The company has now started revealing a little on what Windows Phone users can expect in the next update to the OS, dubbed ‘GDR2’.

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On May 14^th the company shared some of the General Distribution Release (GDR) 2 features in what was a blog post about the newly launched Nokia Lumia 925. The phone, which has been named ‘Catwalk’, will release on Vodafone sometime in June and a little while after. This is the first Nokia smartphone to employ a lighter weight aluminium body. According to several reliable sources, Nokia plans of releasing three such GDR updates for the Windows Phone 8 operating system before releasing the much hyped and much anticipated Windows Phone Blue.

The so called ‘Portico’ update released last year is considered the GDR1 update. The GDR2 update, (the name is yet to be released by Microsoft) is officially expected to release this summer. GDR3 on the other hand will arrive in fall. The much anticipated Windows Phone Blue is set for a 2014 release claim the aforementioned reliable sources. The blog post explains some of the minor improvements and updates that the new update will bring to the phone. The post further went on to suggest that the update would be similar in size to the ‘Portico’ and will primarily address Wi-Fi and messaging improvements among other small ones.

According to officials, the news update is expected to include CalDAV and CardDAV support. There were several rumours in the industry pertaining to the inclusion of CalDAV and CardDAV in GDR2. The update will also see the reintroduction of FM radio on phones, a feature that was omitted out of the Windows Phone 8. Several other minor updates on downloading and pinning tunes on the Xbox store are also expected.

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