Microsoft today revealed new information about what we can expect in the first update to Windows Phone 8.1. Better known as Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1, a preview version is coming to developers next week ahead of a general release “in the coming months.”
While Microsoft Canada was hoping to have Cortana in time for the release of Windows Phone 8.1, Canadian users will need to wait a bit longer. Cortana for Canada is coming to the developer preview as an alpha release. Rather than being localized for Canada, it will use the English language model from the U.S. and UK (based on user selection).
Other features coming to Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 include:
- Live folders whereby you can organize your apps into folders on your Start screen. Tile updates from individual apps will be displayed at the folder level
- Xbox Music improvements including better performance and some features dropped from Windows Phone 8.1 Preview for Developers
- Store Live Tile
- Ability to select multiple SMS messages for easier deletion or forwarding
- Apps Corner: Ability to specify which apps need to run a “sandboxed” mode and ability to boot straight into an application
- Enhanced privacy and security with VPN connections over Wi-Fi
Windows will roll out the developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 next week. The general release version is set to follow a few months from now. In the meantime, those with Windows Phone 8.1 will be able to use Cortana by simply changing their default language settings to “English (US).”
Source : Windows Phone Blog