Before the next major version of Microsoft"s smartphone operating system arrives, users will get a smaller update that includes features such at FM radio support. And if a post from a wireless service provider is accurate, that update may be coming relatively soon.
According to a post by a member of Telstra"s products and services team, the Australian carrier will begin testing the GDR2 update in a matter of weeks. The representative"s post in full is as follows:
The GDR2 update for the Lumia 920 has not been provided to Telstra for testing yet. Nokia have informed us that they are expecting to submit in mid-May and have not been able to bring that date in any further. I will include schedule details in the next status update post which I hope to have out in a weeks time.
Testing of the GDR2 update likely won"t take a significant period of time, meaning users should receive the update by the end of the month or in early-to-mid June if the timeline mentioned by the representative is accurate.
"GDR" stands for "General Distribution Release," essentially meaning the update is for all Windows Phone devices. Among the features expected in the GDR2 release are storage improvements and the aforementioned FM radio support (for phones that have FM tuners, such as Nokia"s Lumia 920), although Nokia is reportedly testing its own version of the update that will include the ability to wake a device up by double tapping on its screen.
The last Windows Phone 8 GDR release was the "Portico" update that began rolling out in December. That update included minor bug fixes and improvements to Windows Phone 8 such as persistent WiFi, the ability to respond to incoming calls with SMS messages and Internet Explorer 10 improvements. Microsoft is reportedly working on a third GDR release for Windows Phone8 devices, GDR3, which may bring support for 1080p and quad-core devices.
Source: Telstra via WMPoweruser