Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 arrives for Verizon's Nokia Lumia 928 and Nokia Lumia 822

Today, Verizon subscribers with the Nokia Lumia 928 and the Nokia Lumia 822 are beginning to receive Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1. That means that owners of these two handsets will now be able to access virtual personal assistant Cortana. Other goodies that come with the update include the Swype-like Word Flow keyboard, Action Center, custom volume levels for different activities and the addition of background images on Live Tiles.

Other changes include enhancements to the Windows Phone Store, which will now recommend apps based on your previous downloads, and the addition of Internet Explorer 11. With the latter, you can pin websites as Live Tiles and enjoy extended HTML5 support for videos. A touch of a button will now turn a voice call into a video call when using Skype, and four new management features are included.

Wi-Fi Sense automatically connects your phone to free Wi-Fi hotspots. Data Sense warns you when you are close to going over your monthly data cap, and helps stretch out your remaining data by cutting back on non-critical tasks. It also compresses website images and texts by up to 60%. Battery Saver will tell you which apps are the top consumers of your battery's power and can help extend your battery life by as much as 20%. Storage Sense gives you a quick look at all of the memory being used on your phone. It also allows you to move apps from your handset's native storage to a microSD card.

The update prepares both phones for the Lumia Denim update, which has started rolling out globally. If the update doesn't reach your phone today, don't do anything that would force Santa to put you on the naughty list. Staggered updates can take some time to reach your device. You can try to coax it out of your phone by going to Settings > Phone Updates.


source: Verizon (1), (2) via WindowsCentral