Microsoft Starts Nokia Lumia Cyan Rollout

Microsoft has started rolling out the Lumia Cyan software update, comprising Windows Phone 8.1 together with Lumia-specific features, to compatible Nokia handsets.

Lumia Cyan will be made available in the coming weeks, with users able to check manually if the update is ready for their device by accessing the settings menu.

Windows Phone 8.1 brings voice-activated personal assistant Cortana to users in the US, with the promise that it will arrive in the UK during the second half of 2014.

Nokia Lumia Cyan

Other interesting features include a new action centre for easy access to important settings and notifications, and the more intuitive Wordflow keyboard. Crucially, Windows Phone 8.1 also lets users add a third column of live tiles to their home screen.

There are also new enterprise management options in the form of support for (S/MIME), the ability to automatically connect to a company’s VPN network and an in-built mobile device management client for use in a BYOD environment.

Lumia-specific features include updates to Nokia Camera and Camera Roll, the ability to install apps to a microSD card, and rich recording with surround sound.

The first flagship Lumia smartphone to be released since Microsoft completed its £4.6 billion takeover of Nokia’s device’s business, the Lumia 930, will hit shelves in the UK on Friday.

At the same time, reports suggest the company is working on a Lumia handset running a forked version of Android as part of an effort to increase Microsoft’s market share and the popularity of its services such as Skype and Bing.

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