Despite the fact that Windows Phone 7 owners can’t upgrade the software of their devices to Windows Phone 8 Microsoft hasn’t abandoned them yet. There’s an upgrade planned to arrive called Windows Phone 7.8 that aims to bring several Windows Phone 8 features to the older platform. Rumors circulated previously that the update will be available sometime next week however Microsoft has released an official statement regarding this and said that it will be coming out early next year.
So what new features will Windows Phone 7.8 have? Once you update your device you will be able to resize live tiles. You will also have access to twice the number of themes and accent colors bringing the total to 20 which will further personalize your phone. A new lock screen will now greet you which also features Bing’s picture of the day.
Aside from these new features the company is also bringing in more games to Windows Phone 7.8. Microsoft has confirmed that Draw Something, Words with Friends, Angry Birds Space and Angry Birds Star Wars will be making its way to the upcoming update.
Phones running on Windows Phone 7.8 will be launched in more countries worldwide as the release date approaches. These models are targeted for the budget conscious buyer or the low to mid-range market.
No specific date was given for the exact release date. The company however said that they are currently testing update with its various hardware and carrier partners.
We are not sure also if all previous models running on Windows Phone 7 will be getting the update or only some of them.
On a different note, Microsoft has announced that a fix for the random rebooting issue of some Windows 8 phone models will be released next month. This fix will be delivered via an over the air update.
