FM Radio to return to Windows Phone 8, Nokia to continue improving their Lumias with new features

If there’s one sore spot with a certain segment of users it was how the release of Windows Phone 8 lacked FM radio support—something which had been around since the Zune player days. No reason was ever stated, though it’s a safe guess that it was something Microsoft simply did not have time to complete by October’s release schedule.

Now, according to sources at the Verge, that situation will change with the expected GDR2 update coming out later this summer. That addition will allow users, when headphones are plugged in, to use their Windows Phone as an FM radio—an important source of news and entertainment for many in emerging markets who can’t afford streaming data plans.

Nokia has plans to make Windows Phone 8 even better

In addition, Nokia is reportedly working on a few other tweaks for its Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices. We’ve already reported on incoming camera improvements, Flip-to-silence making a comeback, the Color Profile selection and of course Nokia’s Storage tools, so none of that is actually news. But now we can add a fourth: double tap the display to wake up the phone.

On a very limited set of Windows Phones e.g. ATIV S, some early LGs there is a physical Windows key which can also double as a second way to turn on the phone. And recently, BlackBerry added a “swipe up” gesture that unlocks the Z10, making buttons a thing of the past. Nokia seems to have picked up on this useful feature and will have it so that double-tapping the screen (and probably using that Super Sensitive Touch technology) will cause the device to pop up from sleep. [Edit: The Nokia N9 had had a double-tap to wake the device feature from 2011, so a port of their old technology] That may seem trivial but we think it’ll go a long way for everyday device usability e.g. checking notifications.

Currently in the latest firmware, 1308, only the Storage tools are available. Nokia is expected to either update that firmware with a newer iteration or release another firmware update to bring over those new features later this summer. Likewise, certain features may already be in the new firmware but have to be “unlocked” by forthcoming Nokia system-app updates via the Store.

Source: The Verge