Windows Phone GDR3 update is now Official

Microsoft has officially announced much anticipated Windows Phone GDR3 update, just a step now to Windows Phone 8.1.  Windows Phone GDR3 update is considered to be the ‘base’ of Windows Phone 8.1, as it contains number of essential updates.

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Features of Windows Phone GDR3 update:

The update contains a variety of features, i.e. from performance improvements to interface changes. Let’s have a look on these features:

Support for Quad-Core processors:

Support for quad-core processors have been added in GDR3 update. Windows Phones will now be able to run Snapdragon 800 chipsets. Android has been supporting this chipset for 3 months so Microsoft is catching up with Android.

1080p resolution Support:

Windows Phone GDR3 update now supports 1920×1080pixels of resolution and larger screens up to 7 inches so that Windows Phone Operating System can run on phablets as well. The support for 1080p displays was much anticipated and Android has it for over a year now.

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Improved Multitasking:

Multitasking in GDR3 update is now improved. Now you can manually close apps by hitting a big “X” button easily.

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Better Storage Management:

Storage Management is made better in this update. You’ll now have the option to see which apps and media use what amount of storage.

More Live Tiles:

Windows Phone 8 brought resizable live tiles in Windows Phone. Here is another major improvement in GDR3 update. With this update, you can have six live tiles in a row now.

Custom Ringtones:

You can also assign custom ringtones to anything like instant messages, emails, voicemails and reminders.

Other Features:

There are a number of other features like a new Driving mode that would lock the screen while you drive so you can focus on driving better. This is not the end; there are also lots of other features included in this update which you can explore when you get the update.

Availability:

According to Microsoft, it will start rolling out the update in few weeks and may take “Several months” to complete. But if you are a developer, you can get it now by Microsoft Developer programme.

Don’t forger to share your views regarding this update.