Windows Phone 7.8 update set to start rolling out January 31

We've had pointers that the long-long-long awaited Windows Phone 7.8 update will start to be released at the end of January. And now Microsoft in Colombia has let it slip on Facebook that the start date is January 31.

But don't get too excited. It could take some time for the update to be released to all phones on all carriers.

We've heard that unlocked Nokia Lumia phones will be updated first followed by...well, your guess is as good as ours. In fact, the entire roll-out could take weeks.

WP7.8 is for devices currently running 7.5 and will bring some of the new features seen in WP8 devices. You'll get resizable Start Screen tiles, more theme colours and some more lockscreen options.

You can check if your due an update by going to Settings > Phone Update, but you'll have to plug your phone into Zune (Windows) or the Windows Phone app (Mac) to complete the download.