Windows Phone 8.1 core has finished today

Now that's the way to do it.

There goes the hope for the new lumias being available same day as announced...

*Pimp slap

My pimp hand is strong. SLAP!

+mushroomtattoo

I'll be on vacation for that week. Can't wait.

Slap slap slap slaaaaaaaaap*

Pimp Slap! NOW, WHERE'S MY MONEY?!

*pops acid in your mouth*You'll see how beautiful now :)

Shake that slap :P

*glove slap followed by golf clap*

.

What did the 5 fingers say to the face?

Index finger said "knock knock" and middle finger said "can i come in?"

Stab! .... er ... I mean .... Slap! :p

Are we still talking about WP8.1 ?? I'm lost.

I'm Rick James Bitch! !SLAP!

    A glove slap to a little ole face will
    Get you satisfaction.
    Glove slap, baby!     Glove slap,
    Baby, glove slap!
    Glove slap,
    I don't take crap!
    Glove slap,
    Shut your big yap!
    Glove slap,
    Baby, glove slap!     Ooooooh, glove, baby,
    That's where it's at.
    Yeah.
    Glove, baby,
    Give it a slap.     Glove slap,
    Baby, glove slap!
    Glove slap,
    I don't take crap!
    Glove slap,
    Shut your big yap!
    Glove slap,
    Baby, glove slap!

That's from The Simpsons, if anyone is confused ;)

OPEN NUTS would be more appropriate!

yeah guess who dropped there 925 in the pool today...  

Cant wait

930 + wp8.1 will be a prefect masterpiece.

Its not a touch phone right? It is no touch screen technology what Microsoft had confirmed with fine cutting edge technology

That's codenamed goldfinger... 930 is codenamed martini

Does anybody know what the 930 will look like, and what carrier it will be on?

I don't think there are any leaked screenshots, but if I had to guess I'd say on AT&T, unless Microsoft pulled some pseudo-post-deal magic to get it on Verizon and AT&T. Verizon has the Icon though, so having it on only AT&T wouldn't really be that bad.

930 is supposed to be an international version of icon. So it should be available on more than one carrier.

If it's on AT&T, then it will have half the memory, no wireless charging, no SD card slot, who knows, maybe even half the cores.

Half the phone for about the same money!! I wish I did not have unlimited data plan with them!!

Unlimited?  More like a paltry 3GB after which point you can't even stream a YouTube video.

I am on unlimited with at&t and I never get throttled to the point of not being able to stream anything. You're exaggerating.

I would have said the same three days ago; I went over the limit and I cannot stream anything without intermittent choppiness as it tries to keep the buffer up.

and half the color choices in windows phone backgrounds which basically amounts to well, one.

Where did you read that?

read what? Settings->Theme->Background choice 1: Dark also known as black. choice 2: Light. also known as white. I know they said WP supports backgrounds on tiles but so far there is no reason to think you will not be staring at 100% contrast everywhere, which BTW, for the record, it's a mode in windows for disabilities which makes your eyes hurt. just saying MSFT. Just saying.

+720

You people complaining about AT&T should try to look at other US carriers. AT&T gets most of Nokia's phones and exclusives including the 1020 and 1520, meanwhile carriers like Verizon have only gotten 3 Nokias since the release of WP8 (822, 928, Icon). All of which are redesigned Lumias that are "hobbled" in their own way, including minimum color choices, i.e., black & white.

I prefer to look abroad, where I always buy my devices; plenty of choices and no carriers interferences.....

I hope for an international version also. I have invested in wireless charging, don't want to return to plug in only or PMA

You people complaining about US carriers should look at your Windows Phone market share and be glad you get anything exclusive at all

We dont care about stinking "Market Share"  :) muhahaha

Me neither, I can live with "about a week" though :)

Thank you for this lol. The comments and forums have been going crazy!

Lol !
Daniel i hope you didn't mean "a surprise or two" literally ? You and other attendees would be getting a full fledged show of the changes right ? So we'd have official videos of ie11, cortana and action centre being shown by the ms people on 2 April right ?

Yes morning keynote after breakfast is all about wp 8.1 and new wps

Is that the Lumia 1020 on the picture? If so, I see no reason why we should not get the 3rd row of tiles. Looking awesome.

Looks like the 1520

Yep, you can tell by the alignment and size of the capacitive buttons and the shadow of the phone (no slope because of a camera module).

it is not, at least my 1020 has not circle thing in its top left corner :P

That circle is the AT&T (a US carrier) logo. Carriers in the US are so vain that they feel the need to soil devices with their brandings.

STFU.

Its a 1520. Look at the spacing of the back, windows and search buttons at the bottom.

It's a column, dear.

THANK YOU!

Daniel can we know which phone is that ? ;) and is that wp8.1 ? ;)

That's a Lumia 1520 I think..

I read somewhere that any device with a screen 4.3" or larger will have the option to turn on the third column.

Mary Jo Foley of Zdnet fame noted that the HTC 8X would get the 3rd column so I'm guessing that 4.5" and larger will get 3 columns.

I would never enable 3rd column on the 8X. I carry that as my personal but get the latest through work so I'll know if I like it without spending my hard earned cash first. I can honestly tell you that after using the icon, I will never buy a phone with a screen under 5"...my 8X feels & looks so cheap now. It looks petit and the keyboard, text, is so tiny!

Anyway, it surely is on 8.1, though Daniel didn't mention that he's got a running piece ever. Strange..
It has got a cortana tile (seriously ? I though cortana would run by the search button ?), WiFi icon is to the left, and those tiles' backgrounds look...original by ms, not skinnery... Though as someone mentioned here, a parallax option in the tiles would be MIND BLOWING !
And they should've atleast allowed the music tile to take the accent/background image, still green :(

come on,man, this probably is photoshopped

There IS a cortana tile in case you didn't watch the videos.

I HAD seen all videos, but i had presumed that those were old builds when they had made a tile for it just for testing convenience.. Just like a tile for action center... which shouldn't be there now because they have made a gesture for that. Maybe this pic is an old build too.

 I see no reason why we should not get the 3rd row of tiles  

I see no reason why windows phone has to use freaking 72point fonts in 400dpi screens, and offer anything that is not eye searing black on white or the reverse for text. but MSFT has never let such matters bother it. 

It's a column... Not a row....

It's a 1520, front camera top left. 1020 has it top right.
And I'm happy my 1020 only has NOKIA top center and no other branding :)

yay!

So Daniel your tweet wasn't true right?

He tweeted that it would be delayed, and says the same thing in the article. Developer preview pushed back by about a week. Posted via the WPC App for Android!

Really?!?!?! WPC app for android!?!?! Lol when I had an android device I wouldn't comment so that people here know I wasn't using a WP device. Lol

I have a nexus 5 and a nexus 7 ( which I use at home most of the time ) along with my 1020. I think this the first time anyone has said anything, but I comment most often from the android app.

Thank god its just about a week. That delay news gave me a good headache earlier. Can re-breathe now...

did you read the article?

Lol never ceases.

Re-read the article please! :D

I can't imagine how nice it must feel to mark the last bug as fixed.

I don't think anyone knows how that feels :P

Exactly, no such thing as "last bug" :/

+1 :D

LOL so true. It's not that the last bug was fixed, but the last stop-ship bug. There will always be other bugs. :)

I once wrote a "Hello world" app in HTML. I found a bug, created a ticket in the tracker, fixed the bug, and closed the ticket to release version 1.0. Never seen a bug after that. It felt awesome!

I'm sure there's some browser incompatibility in there somewhere.

Congrats!

Congrats to the team! Can't wait to see it next week :)

I feel so nerdy that I'm so excited about next Tuesday. Is it bad that I'm leaning towards using a sick day? Posted via the WPC App for Android!

Not at all. :P

Not at all.. But it is next Wednesday not Tuesday. :)

Lol, that would have been bad.

That's not a bad idea... Hmm.

U would be there with Dan next week at build right??

They deserve a congrats, after all, they finally made some real real gamechangers ..

After knowing that Developer Preview is delayed, all my excitement seems to have died a rapid death. What is the point of showing me candies and then asking me to sleep without even licking one?

Sleep for 7 days, then you can lick it :-P

Now you know how top models feel when they see chocolates.

Dude...

+1240 THIS!!!

What's 1240 ?

520 + 720 = 1240

I feel your pain

Sweet i want it nowwww, i will wait a bit since it is delayed. My 1520 will become a better device.

Oooooh! I am getting excited! Come on WP8.1 !

Is that an actual screenshot of WP8.1, a mock-up or some Skinery magic? It looks gorgeous. I just really hope that the background stays static behind the tiles or at least has a parallax effect with the tiles. It would really put the "windows" in "Windows phone."

Is just the Daniel's phone. Didnt you think that Daniel Rubino isnt not using WP8.1 for sometime now?? He and another one key persons...

He isn't, and if he is, I think he is smart enough to not publish pictures of an official Windows Phone 8.1 build, as Microsoft could get very angry. They would have find out how to find Daniel vest enough.

Didn't stop Tom Warren in the slightest..

He does have it. He even posted a screenshot of the new store ratings on twitter earlier. https://twitter.com/Daniel_Rubino/status/448879932333363200

can some1 ansa this

I think it is 8.1 because of the Wi-Fi icon in the top left corner rather than middle.

It's just a mock-up or screenshot put on a real Lumia, nothing more.

And it has the Cortana tile! Of course it's 8.1. I would guess there's a press embargo on talking about it in detail.

It looks real to me. Notice the new Store tile icon. We haven't seen that before in any of the leaks. It now matches the Windows 8.1 tile :)

It's a mock-up. Look at the bottom of the screen, the tile is cutten but the screen doesn't end (I'm holding a Lumia 1520 in my hands right now.. The screen is larger)

looks like a punch card. Punchcard Phone 8 may resurect sales given as how Azure can't run any faster away from the windows-tanic name.

Im crying!!!!

We don't Have a handkerchief here.

Hey it's only been like two years, they've basically had no time to get this pushed out.

2 years and 1 year and 4 months is a very big difference.

well that changes everything!. this will be the year of windows phone!

Bro how to years.

Just keep living and the years will come by themselves  

Bro, do you even years?

Math and a calendar. Look into it.

So dev preview is delayed :(

new phones on Easter!!!

No on easter only beta version.

People said the same thing about the "beta" of Update 3 that was launched through the development preview, that same build, turned out to be a stable one as it was pushed by Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei to their Windows Phone devices.

It is NOT a beta, when will people stop saying false stuff like this. It is the final RTM version that we'll get in a couple weeks. The fact that carriers don't release it OTA yet has nothing to do with the status of this build. Such #ignorance...

cant wait it...

2 years of wait ))))

1 year 4 months

that's just for the core. let's not get excited here...

OK, 1 year, 4 months and 1 week  - which is when the update will be pushed to dev preview. Big difference.

ya but update is comming soon..

at least stay consistent when you're exaggerating 

why 2 year microsoft is publish on 2nd april 2014

And I was the guy who asked Daniel that just yesterday. :) So, everyone in BUILD will receive a mini W8.1 device (Surface Mini)? and a WP8.1 device (Lumia 630 of course)??

Isn't it usually 2-3 months from RTM to products?

I think it is more like one month now.  At least that was the case with Windows 8.1. So it's not hard to see them giving out a special dev build WP8.1 phone pre-loaded with beta software and then allows them to download the full RTM a week later.  I mean wasn't this the case with the original dev build 920 given out at events which was shipped with special dev firmware?

Now that thread can be put to rest. And also good job to the windows phone 8 team :)

The excitement is killing me !!!

You kindly spelled out RTM... but what is CXE??

I believe it's "Customer Experience Engineering"

So it's UI design?

No, it is UX.

Can't be, as UI design would have been finalized months before the actual product RTMs... maybe something about the user experience, kind of like OOBE (out of box experience)?

it's the group of guys that you know, let you pick 20 colors because you can't blend your own, the guys that thought hitting search winting an app means exiting the app and using the cursed bing thing, and the guys that think your finger is transparent when you're trying to highlight text in WP. you know, fine folks who I suspect are just running a big inside joke at MSFT to see if management lets them release such things. Ah and the guys that when the dissapearing keyboard bug and the storage bug happened, basically did nothing for months.

CXE is Customer Experience Engineering. They used to be called Sustained Engineering. Basically it's the team responsible for maintaining Windows Phone 8.1 after it has been released. The development team will move on to the next major version. CXE have to sign off that they are ready to take over the product - they don't have to 'work out a few bugs' as the article says.   I do worry about this handover. Microsoft needs to get into a rhythm of delivering smaller, real features, more regularly. The product development team needs to be far more involved in doing the updates - all the updates to Windows Phone 8 came out of CXE while the WP team were spending ages on WP 8.1 (hence the frequent questions of 'what the heck are the WP team doing? Why does it feel like one intern is working on WP8 updates?' Well, now you know). Of course, that can be handled by a different division of responsibilities: CXE being responsible only for critical fixes, and the WP team to produce new features, delivering maybe two to four times per year.

Interesting. Thanks for the link and explanation.

Fair criticism on "what the heck are the WP tema doing?". However, remember that this is the last remnant of the Synofski era organization where the WP chaps were treated like the bastard child to be ridiculed. Fast forward a year and you find that all those W8 people were kicked out and it's now WP people running all windows versions. WP people just became the face of Windows, for desktop/tablet/phone. WP8.1 was their last release as the bastardized team that was ignored despite its incredible wins, as a result of them not getting 8.1 bits until very late in the game when it was mostly ready this past October. That, plus the alignment of all windows versions is why WP8.1 was so delayed. From now on, expect Windows releases on ALL platforms to be pretty much in sync: expect Windows 9 in April 2015 and WP9 probably around that time too.

basically that has been the way I've heard it described. but I have two main concerns: 1) the WP team basically have basically proven to be completely unable to produce a competitive mobile OS that can gather marketshare away from android at any singnificant rate. And now they are in charge of windows which is also basically unable to unsteat android. So, color me skeptical but if the WP guys basically lost this fight, nothing they have done so far tells me they stand a chance. WP 8.1 is barrely matching android. Win 8.1 and 8.1u1 are basically backpedaling as Gartner puts win8 tablet share at 2% and WP at what? 3%? 2) WP 8.1 is playing the same tactic as WP 7, WP 7.5, WP8.0. When are they going to really admit they've lost and it is time to change gears? Try some of the crazy ideas like running android apps, giving away the OS, letting OEMs mess with it, heck let users put 3 freaking rows of tiles even if they don't have 1080p screens. At this point they are just going to try again and lose again. I guess no surprise since Terry Mayerson still calling the shots. Doesn't MSFT have a guy to put in place of this character that after 3 years has nevever beaten anybody other than sinking BB? 3)  1 year between update is too slow. Sorry. That is something apple can do. That is something google can do. When you're #3, and #3 by a distance of the size of texas you have to, dare I say, be better? is that a word in MSFT? better as in: we'll beat you not just match you. I suspect not.  

Very interesting point of view.  Seems you have some deep knowledge into how things work at MSFT.  I think about this from a customer perspective, but I really like MSFT and want to stick with them.  I do agree however that the one major advantage they managed to do is to create a system that's more 'fluid' than Android.  But Google doesn't care because 1) OEMs throw hardware and over-buffer their hardware to compete, and 2) users are very content with the customization they can do. 3) They're improving so fast from one realease to the other and Android is becoming more and more fluid. I wrote something similar to answer the question "will you use Chrome on WP8?".  I wouldn't like to use Chrome until there's support for other apps (that's me being a MSFT fan and trying to lobby on MSFT's behalf, as a tiny little customer) but I also see no alternatives being developed to even match Google's services. Only exception is OneDrive. Everything else, MSFT is having hard time catching up. What happened to Skype? Why can't I drop Google Voice and port my number to Skype? What happened to Outlook? Why can't the email interface be better than Gmail? What happened to letting people customize their experience? Isn't that what PC is all about? I'm Glad Nokia is there to fill some gaps with many of the apps they produce. I'm really hoping things will change this year and we'll see more user choice and not only better apps, but WOW apps that aren't simply cathing up, but leading.

everything is public record. no insider access needed to know how badly WP has faired in the market and who was in charge: Joe Belfiore and Terry Mayerson. The rest is as you describe. MSFT just moves too slow because it is used to leading not competing. I'm a big fan of the Gates era, you know, when the mere rumor of MSFT entering a market would make competitors pull out. Today, MSFT entering a market is basically signaling it has been saturated and a great chance to mock them. I'm with you in the change part. I'm just not sure leaving Belfiore and Mayerson in charge will lead to different results than Belfiore and Mayerson have delivered so far. Let the numbers do the talking. Those guys need to retire to some lake estate in washington and let people hungry for victory take over.

To answer your points: 1) WP team is not the same now and 2 years ago. Until a few months ago, they were the bastard child, they were given no access to any "big" windows bits until it was RTM. This alone pushed them back months (even years) in development. Also, the WP team has done AMAZING things technically that haven't translated in amazing things for users because they've done what they could facing constant managing dismissal. For example: they released WP7 with all its heavy base of .NET. Then the windows team said, screw it, creates winRT and the WP team is forced to change EVERYTHING. The fact they released WP8 in such a relatively short time and make it such a stable and solid release is impressive. Since the Windows team ignored all the advice from the WP team, for 8.1 the WP team had to fix much of what the Windows team screwed up in Win8. By this time, the WP team was in control of the windows team, they were the ones who basically directed Win8.1 and its future direction. Now, after years of being dismissed, the WP team is in control of all Windows teams, basically running the show. You cannot compare what they were able to achieve when they were laughed at and what they'll achieve now that they have full power. If anything, the fact that they created such a solid system (even if it didn't sell well, cos their marketing money was a joke) despite all the obstacles is admirable. I have full faith that now that they run the show they'll be able to do amazing things. Some of this is already visible, in fact major websites recently have commented how impressive the WP 8.1 leaks have been, saying it's only 8.1 in name for cohesion with Windows 8.1, but it should really be called WP9. 2) WP hasn't lost squat. Is it the market leader? No, but neither is the iPhone and you surely wouldn't suggest they should drop out of the market. WP is #2 in many international markets at this point, so it really depends on what market you're talking about. Yes, they need to do better, but they're certainly not doing so badly that dropping out should be considered. The fact that they are still in the market and they're gaining marketshare continuously should keep you pretty confident, as WP is gaining marketshare while Apple is losing it in some markets. It's not all black or white. Again, you can't blame Myerson for what little he has accomplished while being squashed by a tyrannical Windows team. Judge him for what he is doing now that he's in control: WP8.1 is shaping to be an amazing update and pay special attention to Windows/WP9, that's the release he'll be directing and that's when you'll see what the former WP team can do when given the chance. 3) Absolutely agreed, the big update delay has been really annoying. However, there have been 3 quite marked updates throughout the year, so you can't imply there hasn't been anything. However, this delay was brought, again, because Synofki's Windows team shared nothing with the WP team, so they were pushed back months. Even then, when Microsoft decided to unify all 3 windows versions (x86/ARM/WP) into a single core that's adaptable per device, the WP8.1 that should've been released last fall slipped to this spring to incorporate further changes. So, at least, WP8.1 is now the most advanced windows version, which you can notice because Windows has an Update 1 to bring it up to par with WP8.1. Now they'll be 77% "fused", with Windows 9 being the 100% unification. It has been a messy process, for sure, but all the pieces are now in place. Now they just need to execute: 2014 and specially the path to Windows 9 / WP9 is the most exciting time for Microsoft followers since their inception. How will all this play out? That's anybody's guess, but you can't blame them for not giving it their best shot. I for one remain confident and if they end up failing, I'll have no problem switching back to Android on a Nexus device.

Awesome take. I don't doubt their engineers. There is a lot of truth to your points that they were marginalized under Steven S. However I'm not sure I can blame Sinofsky for the low OEM adoption. The complains are valid IMO for android OEMs basically want a free OS, and want an OS that lets them make devices that look distinct. Huawei just said so, and we've heard hints of this from many OEMs frustrated with the policies straight from Redmond. MSFT considering free licensing in india and reduced fees elsewhere demonstrates that google, basically ensure no company can ever charge for a mobile OS. WP's leadership should have faced reality sooner. I think they are still on denial with windows 8 even as Gartner says it has reached 2% share in tablets which by all measures, it is a disaster given it was supposed cut android off from repeating history. But that is another story. I will also point out that the WP team made some stupid decisions. for example, they refused to support C++ from day one meaning a ton of games couldn't possibly get ported for the C#/Silverlight framework they used neither mapped in a friendly way to cpp devs, nor did it offer the performance. They failed to support newer hardware shipping WP with 800x640 resolution as android was shipping 720p and then lacking the support for multi-core processors because they picked, incorrectly the CE core instead of the NT core. And later, even as windows XP could support basically any resolution, WP took all the way to GDR3 to support basically 1080? WTH, it's windows NT under the hood, since when has it been resolution dependent? Did I mention they picked silverlight? This felt like a cheap attempt to take marketshare from flash for silverlight had been flopping for quite sometime. We had WPF and WPF was more developed, I still think it kicks the lights out of winRT in many ways. So when Steven S basically killed SL, I think he was right. So yeah, they are victims of the Tirant but at the same time, I wouldn't use the WP team as the shining example of MSFT's leadership.   I think we both can agree all that stuff is in the past and that it is time to sink or swim. While you may not think WP should be discarted, I'm not sure Satya is as protective of windows as Ballmer. After all, tomorrow he is basically sending a message to the win8 team: office will be on the platform that matters most first: not yours. I'm sure if I was the folks in charge of win8, I would see this as the man's patience is running out.

Awesome, and congratulations to the team! Can't wait to see what surprises they have for us BUILD attendees. Hoping to spend the evening playing with WP8.1. :)

That has to be a good feeling!  Kudos to them!

I feel so conflicted.

It means exact date is 9 th April?? For preview

No. The exact date has not been given, only an approximation.

3 years to wait wp update )))))) then wp 9 will be after 20 years

october 2012 was 3 years ago?

If average users aren't on Dev Preview, then yes, it will be 3 years from Oct 2012 before they get this update.

Well, we dont' know that yet, have hope. Also nothing is stopping any average users reading here to enroll in a free dev preview program and get it in april instead of complaining about 20 years

Microsoft releases the update to all people at once. OEMs and carriers delay. You can't blame Microsoft if Nokia takes 5 months to add Glance and Beamer to Lumia 820. My sister's HTC Windows Phone 8S got the GDR3 update in November. Officially, without developer preview app.

Yup^

Oct 2012 to Oct 2014 is 2 years I believe?

The big difference now is that EVERYBODY can be on the "dev preview" program (aka - we call it dev preview but it's just free for anybody who wants to update early, yet it's the only way for carriers not to be mad at us). So, your 3 year timeline doesn't apply.

It is actually 1.5 years. October 29, 2012 to April/May 2014? Hopefully there will be no more Nokia to mess with updates after April. That way all Lumias can get the update in May itself, normal channel (not the developer)

You forgot to add " and risk to invalidate their warranty"... Not a small detail...

Three years a bit harsh, but understandable. I feel the time of 8.1 in alignment with Windows 8.1 is right and will move along at a better pace since this will be a massive overhaul to the OS

it hasnt even been a year and a half since wp8 released where is this 3 years thing coming from?

I'm assuming they are talking since WP7. That's my take. Which is why I said that was harsh but understandable because this will vastly change WP from its beginning. 7 to 8 had some significant changes but this is massive to the entire core of WP.

*sigh* Do you even remember WP7.0? Windows Phone 8.1 is no bigger an update than 7.1 was. Before Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, there was no multitasking - long pressing back didn't do anything, no background agents, no resume support (apps used to restart everytime you press Start and tap again), not even push notifications, it had a custom browser combining Internet Explorer 7 and 8, no Twitter integration, no hardware acceleration, no OTA podcasts, only one tile for every app, no motion sensors or gyroscopes allowed, no custom ringtones, no Battery Saver, apps could not play music in background, no support for hidden Wi-Fi networks, no single track repeat in Music+Videos, no emoticons, no option to "auto-fix" pictures, no full screen scaling of videos, no current tab/new tab setting - always replaced current tab, the shutdown screen was very dumb, no Xbox Live integration properly, no Recent section in games Hub, Pictures app tile was not animated, no threaded messaging or linked email boxes, NFC, Bing services, SmartDJ or even a camera shutter sound, to name a few out of the hundreds. Windows Phone 7 was not even an OS before WP7.1 (7.5) :P Implying that huge update thing HAS happened before in WP history.

Wow, what a memory.

Lol you typed all this for nothing. What part of significant changes from. 7 to 8 was not understood? I kept it dumb down without needing to type a paragraph. For someone who is talking about about three years in my mind is talking about WP 7. So from THAT to 8.1 is yes massive overhaul to the core. We are not talking about 8 to 8.1. There is a huge change since 7.

1 year 4 month. Stop spreading FUD.

That's great news. Lets hope the bugs are resolved as soon as possible. We are just a week away from BUILD 2014. Can't wait for it, 1 week would seem really long from today. :)

Hope there's more fluidity between apps now.

omg, Last year I would never have imagined them to upgrade the os so much so quickly, this is what we need

Nothing quick about this

@JoeTindall: I know it's a troll, but you did make me laugh.

If you're being sarcastic, thanks for the joke!

On behalf of WP users... Thank you WPteam!

Believe me guys, It's better to have a delayed working product than a early released bricking OS. They are just trying to make sure your phones will survive the change from 8.0 to 8.1. By the way 90% of us (me included) are not developers and MS is not asking for proof of that. We should not even have a chance to touch this... but we are so I think a week or two will not be a big deal. Will it?

Right delay happens many times. Even the ios was delayed for about 1 month. Android phones are still waiting for their kitkat update. So its obvious we can wait for better compatibility

+1

+2

My Droid X2 is still waiting on the Jellybean update, and will continue to wait forever :-(
 

OF COURSE we should have every right to have this release. Dev Preview is NOT A DEV PREVIEW! Jeez the ignorance here is rampant. Dev Preview is NOT a preview because it's not unfinished software but finalized RTM builds, the ones that go to consumers. They just call it Dev Preview because otherwise carriers will get mega mad at Microsoft for not letting them control the OTA updates. This way, carriers are happy because it seems like they're in control, while whoever wants timely updates can get a FREE Windows Phone App Studio account (takes 1 minute) and enter the so called "dev preview" program.

Thanks for clearing that up

Just checked the "dev preview" and corresponding issues that have been logged, seems like installing this can cause some series issues that require expert advice to resolve.   On this basis is it correct to recommend this as an option to Mr Joe Public? Your response would be highly appreciated.

Your question has 2 points that need to be cleared up: a) ANY product/firmware update is risky. ALL of them. Even the ones that come OTA from your carrier. IT is an inherently risky operation since you basically flash the phone's ROM memory. In principle everything should go fine... but this can't be %100 guaranteed. Because of this... b)... the dev preview is no better/worse than the carrier OTA. In fact, the dev preview is the EXACT same build you'll get from the carrier. The only difference is the carrier might make some adjustments to their network or add some firmware bits (you don't get firmware bits through the dev preview, just the newest RTM OS version). That said, the dev preview name is very misleading (surely how carriers wanted it) because it suggests some sort of pre-access, as in pre-finished, as in beta. This is %100 NOT the case: the versions you are getting are fully finalized (well, until the next update, no software is ever really final). Therefore, having those 2 points into account, you can conclude that installing the dev preview builds is no different than waiting for the carrier. Once the carrier decides to push the update OTA (which takes them forever and they claim it's for testing purposes, when most of the time the REAL reason is that they don't want people with updated phones that work better as this can push them to ditch the phone and get a new one with a shiny new 2 year contract plan continuation) the OEM will add firmware to it. Even if you participate in the dev preview program you'll get the firmware updates once the update is "officially" available through carriers. You won't get the OS update (since you're already running it), just whatever else is released that you don't have yet. This is further proof that what the carrier releases OTA isn't any different, otherwise you'd still have to receive such OTA OS update: since you don't, it's clear you have it already from Microsoft (version numbers also confirm this). Dev Preview is a WIN no matter how you look at it. It's designed to bypass evil carriers. This is the one advantage that Apple has over everybody because they were first to the smartphone market and thus got to dictate many conditions. Dev preview is Microsoft's way of doing the same thing, just like Google does this in their Nexus phones that bypass carriers. I've done about 4 updates through dev preview by now, never had any problem because it's inherently the exact same process as waiting for the carrier, just earlier (in fact, carriers even block OTA updates to network unlocked phones like mine until they say so, which is crazy infuriating since I owe them NOTHING, but they still have control. Thanks to programs like the dev preview I'm no longer held hostage by a greedy company that wants to control my phone unjustifiably). Do it. You won't regret it and your phone will be more fully featured and, most importantly, more secure against threats. PS - if your phone were to crash and burn - which can also happen through OTA carrier updates - all you'd have to do is go back to factory settings. No expert advice needed (though it would most likely be helpful since it'll probably be faster/easier to do it yourself than to wait for your carrier's store to help you. Carriers don't care about your phone, they only care about your contract being active and giving them money).

Apple first on the smartphone market?!?!?!? Are you for real? I bought my first Motorola MPX 200 in 2003 and it was a SMARTPHONE!!!  

Dude, chill it. Your MPX200 was not a Smartphone by modern standards. The CURRENT smartphone market was kicked off by Apple's iPhone in 2007: sure there were smartphones before but what we understand today as the smartphone market began in 2007 with Apple. So, again, chill it.

Really? I am sorry for you but my HD2 with WM 6.5 was light years better than the iPhone. Actually still is....

Wow, OK. I can't believe I'm actually defending the iPhone, but for once in my life, I think Apple changed the market's direction completely just like Windows did in the 80s. If you're not ready to recognize that fact, if you think the HD2 changed the world... well, I can only agree to disagree then.

Thank you Xabier for your taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer I may well dive in and try it.

Of course! Anytime. You have nothing to lose by trying it, it's easy. My first motivation to enroll in the dev preview was from my past experience with a Samsung Focus on ATT. I never got updates of any kind or I had them like 6 months later. This was crazy infuriating because security holes and bugs were discovered and publicly known, then MS released updates to fix them but ATT held the updates hostage for months. That meant I was vulnerable to attacks. I can deal with not having XYX feature, I cannot deal with my bank/email/work data on my phone being subject to hijacking. Years ago I'd have a US phone and a European phone for my travels, but after my experience with ATT (which drove me to flash my device to a clean wp7.8 rom at some point) I now just buy unlocked devices and swap SIM cards (the only annoying part here is that I can't use Verizon since they don't use SIMs...). The new dual-SIM WP8.1 devices sound terribly interesting to me!

Also, it's a win-win situation for everyone involved. MS gives users a simple tool to build some basic apps and if some users are interested they help to get the app numbers rise. When you compare it with other operating systems, it's actually a brilliant idea.

Your 100% right what other OS allow you to get a developer preview and your not a developer or have to put down some cash.  Your getting update without waiting for your carrier.  

Delayed a week!!!!!!!!!! Noooooooooooooooo

Delayed only "a" week!!!!!!!!!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I hope this doesn't change again for the worse.

If they do, I highly doubt if I'd have anymore patience left to be tested...

Eff that I want it nowww :p

You can't. ;) have to give patience exam first.

Be glad its only a week. I was expecting much much longer.

Yea yea but is it wrong for me to want it on the day they announced.....lol otherwise there's no reason for deadlines...

Yay, chummon April BUILD!!

Still not digging the skinery theme. I'll remain optimistic for now.

I dont like it either. I'd like more if they changed background (with paralax or sth). This just feels odd.

Nice!

Can't still believe that I am stuck on Windows Phone 7.

That's by choice...

There are plenty of people still under contract who bought a WP7 device in 2012, before WP8 was released. Not everyone can afford to buy a new phone off contract.

Any affordable trade in programs available?

A new WP8 device costs as much as 40 cups of coffees or 2 pairs of working shoes or 10% of an iPhone 5.

LOL! 10% of an iPhone 5...

Coffee in Italy costs €1. So €40 for a new phone? That's $55.18!

Lumia 520 & 521 are easily had at that price, a coworker got hers off contract for $55.00 Plus Huweai and the other budget WP8s

Partially true.

Exactly! Unlocked phones (the dominant market in Italy) cost a lot, that is no news. My Nokia Lumia 900 cost $688 (That's after the $138 discount that I got...). I thought I was paying for a flagship phone that would stay flagship for while. I guess nobody warned me about Apollo coming round the corner. 

Buy a new phone wp7 is old now. But even i used to like 7

SO then give the poster some money to buy one you elitist pig

i was too.... until i managed to sell my lumia 900 for the exact same cost of a used 920 on ebay. would have preferred any color other than red, but it works!

Get a 630 when it's announced. It'll be cheap and trump most phones released to date (except flagships higher than 920 of course).

Or just buy a cheap 520 to hold you off till contract is up.

Why buy a 520 now when we're about to get 8.1 phones that could be much better for the same or very similar price? At this point it's much safer to wait a few days and see what's going to come out.

I'm simply saying that there are options that exist to get away from WP7.

Sure, in that sense you are correct. One can buy a 520 today for dirt cheap and be in full fledged WP8, but you'd have to be very much in need to not wait a few weeks for a 8.1 device. Still, it'd be possible, yes.

Agreed.

I'll still wait. I prefer to get a high-end phone. Once this deal is over, I'm moving to a 920 or higher. Maybe 925. Possibly even 1020. 

That's exactly what I did. I had a 620 that I loved but then a couple months ago WPcentral reported on that $200 sale on unlocked 920s... so I snatched one immediately and I'm incredibly happy. If you find a 920 for such a price I say go for it, you won't regret it no matter what is released in the next few weeks. As last year's flagship, you know you'll be safe with a 920 for at least 1/2 more years of updates (and the performance is rock solid).

You'll be happy when making the move. I should contribute my 920 just to help you celebrate. But I assume one's not in the US

What is the expected date for developer preview...

April 9, 2015.

Unless you're a troll, that was a typo and you mean 2014.

2014

That's the same date as the "Windows XPocalypse", as they call it nowadays... 

What's the expected lead time from announcement to actual OTA update of existing devices?

Probably between 3-6 months after the release. If I were you I'd sign up for the Dev Preview, it's free and anybody can do it.

3-6 months isn't too bad. I can wait.

You really don't have to. They don't actually care about warranty when you use developer preview. I sent mine with the app installed, came back fine, repaired under warranty.

^^THIS!!!
Same with me. They don't even check whether its developer preview or not, I got mine repaired once with dev preview unlocked. At least not the Nokia stores here in Noida.

It's like receive a new phone for free !

Good times to be a Windows Phone user!

Excellent! Though, uh, wait, developer preview delayed a week? So that means like the following Tuesday, right?

Ooooooh maaaaan! Well I'll be at the meet up can't wait to see it in action

Let's get it!  Congrats WP Team!

So excited... Last time i was so excited, when my daughter has came to this world :))))

Hahahaha what a comparison pal.

Omg haha

Last time I was so excited when I bought my first Lumia phone ;)

Score! Now gimmie that Lumia 930 with (hopefully) a 5" display and nothing smaller, running 8.1. I can't wait til Wednesday. (Guess what day it is!? Guess what day it is!)

in INDIA its thursday so there you go, guessed it ..ha ha ha 

No.. Its wednesday.. Not thursday

Its Thursday right now. But by calculating IST with GMT, it should be Wednesday i guess.

Its definitely not thursday dude..the time difference is not of 24 hours unless ur living on unknown part of planet and think that its within india...

12 hrs. Is the time difference and 24 hrs is the time required to fly from us to India and vice versa.

Not really excited, i need to see it working on low ram phones

Agree. And hopefully we will see more operating fluidity and MAYBE better apps support...

As much as I want a background or tile background. How would it work with our own pics?
Wouldn't they have to be super stretched out depending on how many tiles you have on home screen?
Is that why they might have pre set ones (tattoos)?

True, we'll see. I'm sceptical too. Wouldnt it be very much easier to put background with paralax? So when you scroll the movement depends on height of the picture and height of tiles?

Hopefully the WP team was smart enough to at least replicate the way Skinery Themes works (it's an app available on the store. Pick it up and you'll see).

So stoked!!! *dances*

...with wolves?

Omg

HAHA You win 8.1 for the day :D

Still won't allow you to set background image. Ugh! Stu*id!

I think it's likely that we might see the developer preview next week. As with all info leaks, they have to be taken with a pinch of salt and since Microsoft hasn't announced anything officially this means there is no reliable source and sure sometimes leaks prove correct other times, not so much. I for one, will be waiting till next week to see what comes out of Build and not rely on a source that can't be confirmed.

Lol @ the amount of people who love to comment yet hate to read the articles... Anyways good news so ready for 8.1!!!

Excellent :)

Looks like WPC already has a beta of 8.1 on their phones! I don't think this is a mockup because the phone already has the new music icon! :)

Because a mockup can impossible have the new music icon on it.     ...it's a mock-up, deal with it.

WAIT, THERES A CORTANA PIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!???

Great

But will the next Lumia have built-in WP8.1 with it?

Yes , as the phones are launch during the conference .

This is what we've all been waiting for, folks!

Looking forward to getting the preview on my Lumia 925.

Greaaaatttttt. I am crazy with this ! Lol

Yay! My 822 makes me feel old..

CORTANA IS THERE!!!!!

Hey xankazo hi im cortana how i can help u?

Great news. I feel giddy like those 4 guys in the commercial with the walkin closet full of Heinekens. Now bring on that update already!

I'm gettin' tingles.

Delayed? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 question : do we all get the update at 2 april? Everyone? Or do we have to wait much longer?

No it has been delayed because 8.1 still has few bugs to bd fixed. So we will get it after a week.

With existing phones I would say June at the earliest

People who have the developer preview app, and has opted into the pre-release of updates, was going to get it on the 2nd of April, while everyone else would get it a few weeks later+. But now it has been delayed for another week bcus of the bugs that need fixing.

Gentlemen, the wait is nearly over... If Cortana is in there, call me 'Master Chief'!!!!!!

damn it MS is slow very slow i thought they already finished it

BRIIING IT OON!

BING* IT ON!

Bing smart search.

Preview delayed?? :(

So the date of actual release after a week for dev preview we will get to know at 2nd April??

Can't wait to have the preview on my 1520!

In an article a few weeks ago, it said that there will / may be a third tile support for 4.5 inch screens. Does that mean 520 wouldn't be supported? I hope it is supported.

It seems doubt ful that such a small screen would support three rows. The mini tiles would become micro tiles.

Good times are coming... :)

Good news :D

These developers are slow as molasses

I'mmmmmm BATMAN!!!!

Nice job microsoft! Can't wait to try it out.

I can't wait to get this upgrade 4 months from the release !!! So happy . Happy happy happy

Few weeks before RTM? Looks like we won't see any new WP devices for at least 4-5 months..again.

It is official? (the image) I don't want photos on tiles :(

Thank god...i think i was alone..me too doesn't like the photos on tiles...

That most probably will be optional. Nothing to worry about for accent colors.

Then want more accent colours. Currently there are 20 we need more 10 or 15 accents.

Yeah that's why I said image backgrounds will be optional ;)

It is optional. But i hope they will also implement real backgrounds + ability to transparent the tiles with a slider :) That would be sick :)

YYYYYYEEEEES

Seems faster

actually in this case it's a week slower

+720 -_-

This is gonna be fcking awesome

It's a good news.

Can we ota it?

I'm excited, for all of us and for Microsoft. Let's get this party started.

Thanks for clarification Daniel, i can now reset my calendar for one more extra week of waiting :). Re the 1 or 2 surprises u mentioned, i wonder if they have 630 & 930 somewhere in the name ;).

What's your source, directly the dev team?

So how is it? Don't even tell me you guys aren't using it, I know you are :P

I really hope they have true background support. All I want is the flashy start screen design from Windows 8.1 on Windows Phone 8.1. We could have easily accomplished wallpaper on tiles using apps for a while now. It is actually having the capability to choose something other than black or white for the background that we need. I don't care if I can't see the background, but to have Windows 8 tattoo designs at least present in the background behind the tiles would make it look so much better.

Yes I also thinking that this would better...

Oh, good grief, wallpaper?  Seriously?  There's no screen real estate to speak of that can be SEEN behind the tiles.  For pete's sake.

I need it in my phone now!!!!

It almost here!

I have this weird suspicion that Daniel has already installed WP8.1 on his mobile

It didn't reach rtm, I don't so

When we will get preview update can anyone tell me plzzz

After one week approximately. U will get to know the exact date on April 2. Maybe. Stay tuned.

Thank u..

So its about April the 10th! Oh god pleaseee...

I don't get the cries of "Oh, nooo! It's delayed!".   Have people forgot that WP8.1 was supposed to have been released last fall along with Windows 8.1? Seriously, this update is already delayed over 3 months...another week or two won't kill anyone.

LOL! The delay has been delayed is the fact that makes me cry...

It's just delayed by one week. Ok, fair enough! I can wait till that...

Bring it on!

Super excited

Very sad, can't wait more....

Weird that so many are seriously complaining about WP8.1 taking too long.   If you look at Android or iOS in comparions to WP, they are both in slower update cycles.  Android 2.x from WP7 era to Android 4.x today has less new features/changes.  iOS also has less new features and changes in the same time frame.   Also in comparison WP8.1 is a MASSIVE update in comparison to any Android or iOS release.

IOS 7 was highly criticised for copying android for its UI and copying wp as its back switching multitasking Window

They copy from all other OS(s) and call it innovation and people throw money on that in excitement. Only thing they really have is the enriched apps ecosystem. Just look at the sliding music player of iOS 7, a child can relate it with windows phone style (or Windows 8 style)...

Honestly one of the Top feature I want to see is the option to activate the 3rd row of apps. If this is not included in the update. I will be really dissapointed. I think MS should give all its users a consistent OS accross devices. Same features. Some might no want the additional column some of us would kill to get it si, why not giving us the choice? That sounds reasonable, at least for me it does.

I have a Lumia 520, with WP8.  Will I be able to upgrade to this WP8.1?

Yes. All Windows Phone 8 devices will receive 8.1

Exiting :) but could we get a surprise during the conference with the release of preview? It would be just wonderful as a pop up joker, and the other point is, how about the 4.5" devices to get 3 medium columns??

Safe bet on 3rd column.

Anyone know what day and GMT time the announcement starts?

9am US time after breakfast morning keynote.

Can we expect WhatsApp update too ?

Yaa ms has stopped many updates as the format of apps are being changed. So everything u will come to know further at build.

Agree. I guess we'll come to see not only WhatsApp update but also a bunch of new updates for most apps right after 8.1 release.

WP8 apps will run on WP8.1, the OS change didn't stop whatsapp from updating their beta a number of times which is WP8, so the delay is not a result of that.

But MAYBE, the apps specially designed for WP8.1 will be better with functionality than those designed for 8, running in 8.1. I mean, even right now many store apps won't work without GDR3. So can't assure now how much compatible it will be until the update.

My point is if WA was working on an app specifically for WP8.1 which no one has yet, they wouldn't be pushing numerous updates to the private beta users if they were working on putting all that functionality into a separate WP8.1 app

Can't wait to get this on my 925! :)

Bring it

Will this update allow Development of such apps as HBOgo? MaxGo and such video entertainment that iOS and Android allows? or will we have to wait till another update

Uhm, isn't the CXE team the team that is responsible for the updates AFTER RTM? I know that the Windows team that is now maintaning Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 is called CXE and that there is another team that works on the next big version, the "core" team as it is called here. The only thing CXE has to do, is allow the core team to push their code to them and then have fun updating. How can it be not done when it's already signed of to the CXE team?

I'm hoping we can grab it day 1 of BUILD via the dev preview app. It be nice to have on my new Lumia 925.

When does BBM come out?

US summer

I guess that explains why the Dev Preview will not be available at Build.  Crud.

As much as I want next week to arrive , I will also have exams so I kinda have mixed feelings about next week approaching. Nah, wtf, BRING IT ON, MICROSOFT + NOKIA!!!

Free Lumia Icon and Surfae 2 with LTE for all attendants... So jealous... Maybe 200gb of one drive too?

LOL, well the core is done. good news...I guess. Take your time guys, no rush. I mean 2012 only happened 2 years ago. There is absolutely ZERO reason to move fast in mobile.

I believe the picture is not a mock up since i saw photos of 630 on pocketnow with the same theme but different arrangement 

The only thing that I would love to see in the new update would be the ability to change the colors of the tiles individually instead of all at once.

The start screen on the phone shown with the background image showing through the transparent live tiles looks really nice, espcially with the background image having some nice depth of field. Does anyone know if there will be an option to have all the live tiles transparent? That way if you choose this option you could have a consistent look vs the ocasional opaque tile?

When will a normal phone get the official and fully update? Please answer

Between 3 and 6 months.

So today Windows Phone 8.1 is gone in Release Candidate?

How do I opt in for the Dev Preview?

So excited about next week 

Sad news. Lets hope MS has other surprises *fingers crossed*

Whoohoo!! :D Now send it to me!!!!

It's suck to wait for dev programme that's the only thing that keeping my NL810 alive::'(

no dev preview this april 2nd

Why does it take sooooooooooo long?

Microsoft has now released the eagerly awaited Windows Phone 8.1. So now, no more wait as everything is unleashed. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crittermap.airhockey

Not perfect but this is what I think windows phone should strive for Windows 8.1 / Windows 9 / Modern UI 2.0 concept: http://youtu.be/M6P-uXwG-18 Posted via the WPC App for Android!

I'v NL720 with wp8 can I get wp8.1 update???

Sure. All windows phone 8 devices will get it irrespective of their makers and models.

After installing wp8.1 imagine cortana telling you that future update is ready and if you wanna install it already.

Announced next week. Brought to you next season.

Just one thing. MS IS EFFIN SLOW in delivering updates. FACT!

what phone is that? thought 1520 but 1520's buttons are black not white

my last phone is lumia 710 ,now is lumia 1520 it's already a big change for me，so i can wait and i believe the next 8.1 will be success

Awesomesauce! Posted via the WPC App for Android!

It seems faster

Congratulations? o_O ROTFL

Even though I want to believe that the developer preview would be delayed by only a week, considering that they still have to sign off on the RTM, it is unlikely to be available for download 2 weeks from now.

Sweet ! Looking forward to it ! Wednesday can't come fast enough. I can live with "About a Week Delay" .... It will give me some time to read about it & figure out how to download* it .... From the looks of it, its gonna be a chunky update .... The GDRs were about 1GB each (2 & 3 that is, my 8X came preloaded with 1) * being outside the country & having limited access to Wi-Fi sucks :( .

Wohoo!! Scooby dooby doo... Wonderfull.. Bring it on.

"That’s still not technically a 'Release to Manufacturers' (RTM) because the Consumer Experience (​CXE) team still needs to work out a few bugs." It might take weeks to get the update. Even the developer preview.

Hi guys.

Any changes in the call? Does WP8.1 have call duration?

920 FTMFW!!!.. 

IM expecting that day more than what im expecting my salary.

Cool, a closer step towards RTM, for pretty much all of us, till it's RTM'ed we wont see a preview or anything. That could be weeks or even a month or 2 away depending on the bug level and how long it takes to fix. It will need testing too, so that could even take longer. This news just confirms, there will be no Dev Preview at \\build and that sucks...

i have to ADMIT the picture of this post looks freaking sexy...

Compare to what MS did bring to Surface and Win RT, i can say that WP 8 is too far behind. Please focus on what your customer expect. 

Getting Windows Phone MS Updates on my 920.Will have to install and see. Update number is: 8.0.10521.155

OMG YAS Posted via the WPC App for Android!

still waiting for the official release

Windows Phone 8.1 Download and Install for Previews: http://adf.ly/im9hl !

Can't wait to get the 8.1 update on my lumia 1520