Nokia Amber Update Roll Out: Lumia Owners Will Soon Get ‘A Wide Range Of New and Improved Features And Apps’ For Windows Phone 8 Device

The Nokia Amber update roll out has began and according to the Finnish tech giant, the update for Lumia smartphones will add “a wide range of new and improved features and apps” for the handset.

One of these features is the Nokia Glance Screen with the standby clock and an improved imaging experience, according to PCMag.

In a blog post, Nokia said that the Amber update “builds upon the latest update for Windows Phone 8 from Microsoft.”

“In itself, this provides a number of significant additions: a new FM radio player and improvements to Xbox music and the Internet Explorer browser,” wrote Nokia.

The Lumia’s camera will get a huge boost from the Amber update. Nokia said it improved its algorithms for better noise reduction, color reproduction, exposure, and autofocus to phones across the phone’s lineup, reported PCMag.

“On the Lumia 920, controls to adjust the ISO settings of the camera from 800 to 3200 allows for even better low light performance.”

The company will also extend the Smart Camera app, which first launched on the Lumia 925, to other Lumia phones via a standalone app. PCMag said that with Lumia 925, the Smart Camera app is “an advanced camera app that includes many features similar to the flagship camera models in Samsung’s Galaxy S4, like ‘drama shot’ and ‘eraser mode,’ for instance.”

"Use Best Shot to find the sharpest image from a series of 10; combine several shots of people in movement into one with Action Shot; heighten the appearance of speed by blurring the background with Motion Focus; create ideal group shots by choosing the best faces from a series with Change Faces, or remove unwanted objects from your pictures," Nokia said, as posted by PCMag.

The Smart Camera app is now available in the Windows store. PCMag explained that though the app will be available for the Lumia devices, there would be some differences depending on the model. The Lumia 720, 620 and 520, for example, will take six burst photos rather than 10 and they will be 1 megapixel instead of the 5 megapixels on devices with more RAM.

The Nokia Pro Camera app, which was introduced with the Lumia 1020 and its powerful 41-megapixel sensor, will be accessible for owners of Lumia 920, 925 and 928.

According to Nokia, the app is “more than just an app.” It wrote that, “it's a completely re-imagined user interface that lets you take full control of the imaging process and helps to unlock all your creative potential."

Aside from the camera phone upgraded and new apps, Nokia also added the Nokia Video Trimmer app for editing and YouTube with Nokia Video Upload app to the Windows Store.

The anticipated Nokia Glance Screen shows the time, as well as battery and charging status for the device, when the phone is inactive. It will be available on all the Lumias except for the 520 and 625. The latter phones don’t have enough display memory.

New shortcuts that comes with the update includes a way to mute an incoming call, which can be done by flipping the phone, and double tapping to unlock the screen.

Nokia Amber update will first roll out to the Lumia 920 and 820 around the globe and the Lumia 521, 810 and 928 in the U.S. Exact timing of the update’s availability will vary by region and carrier. The company expects the rollout to be done by September.

Nokia explained how to get the Amber update from the phone.

"Your Nokia Lumia will check periodically for software updates automatically, or you can perform a manual check by going to 'Settings' -> 'Phone Update.' You can also check for the availability status of the update on our support pages."