Windows Phone 7.8 Release Date

According to a post made on the official Windows Phone Colombia Facebook page, we'll finally see the Windows Phone 7.8 update begin to hit some handsets from the 31st of January. That's well within the Q1 window that was last specified by Microsoft, albeit some seven months after the update was originally announced by the Redmond-based firm.


The new Windows Phone 7.8 will hit roughly three months after Windows Phone 8 was released and aims to bring as many features as possible from that release to older handsets that cannot be upgraded to Windows Phone 8 itself.

According to GSMArena, who have been using a pre-release Nokia Lumia 510, the update is mainly cosmetic in nature. You'll receive a new boot screen, new theme colours and the ability to resize tiles into the new 1x1 size. There are some more substantive additions as well, including new apps for making ringtones, calculating mobile internet usage and transferring files across Bluetooth connections. Other purely software features, like the child-friendly sandbox Kids Corner, won't be making the jump though.

Still, it's good news for owners of Windows Phone 7.5 handsets - although we don't know which models, countries or networks will be first in line to receive the update. I'm definitely hoping that my sim-free Nokia Lumia 800 makes the grade!

Are you still awaiting the update or have you given in and purchased a Windows Phone 8 handset? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and have a great day!