Nokia starts rolling out Lumia Black firmware update

It's started...and earlier than we thought. Nokia has begun a worldwide rollout of Lumia Black, its latest firmware update for the Lumia range of Windows Phone 8 devices.

All phones in the range will be getting it, with higher-end devices getting first bite.

The update includes an enhanced Glance Screen with notifications.

There are other improvements as well and a couple of Nokia apps - Refocus and Storyteller - that need the Black update to work.

Nokia has set up a special webpage with details of the rollout for various devices and regions here.



Update: Just to clarify...the notifications on the Glance Screen are simply symbols including email, SMS, missed calls, Facebook and voicemail with numbers for missed notifications. A proper Notification Centre - which Windows Phone badly needs - is thought to be included in the next major WP operating system update, Windows Phone 8.1, expected towards the end of this year. It's thought Microsoft has plumped for a pull down Notification Centre, similar to Android. 

Nokia Glance screen 2.0. Saves you time and taps by keeping important notifications—phone, text, email, calendar, and notifications from apps like Twitter and Facebook—visible at a glance.

Bluetooth LE. Is coming to the entire Windows Phone 8 Lumia range—big news for fans of the Adidas MiCoach Smart Run watch and other Bluetooth LE compatible gadgets.

Nokia Refocus. This magical imaging app lets you capture first and re-focus later, creating sharable interactive photos that have to be seen to be believed. (Requires 1GB RAM or more.)

Nokia Beamer. Beam documents, presentations, and whatever else you like to any HTML5-enabled screen by scanning a QR code. (Requires 1GB RAM or more.)

Nokia Storyteller. Already available on the Lumia 1520 and 2520, the Storyteller app arranges your photos by date and place, and then locates them on an interactive map, to create stories from your snapshots.

Nokia Camera. Combines two of Nokia’s most lauded photography apps—Pro Camera and Smart Camera—into one powerful and easy-to-use package. Already available on Lumia PureView smartphones, the Black update brings it to the rest of Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 lineup.