Nokia preparing Lumia 800 update for Windows Phone 7740 and battery improvements

By Tom Warren, on 17th Nov 11 2:27 pm with 19 Comments

Nokia Lumia 800

Nokia is preparing to push a Lumia 800 Windows Phone update to existing devices soon.

The update includes Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 build 7740 improvements. The fixes address some issues with Microsoft Exchange 2003 and a voicemail notification problem. Nokia’s own improvements include some battery related improvements. A Nokia spokesperson revealed to WinRumors that the update is currently undergoing carrier testing and should be made available shortly. One particular fix is related to a battery problem after the Lumia 800 fully discharges.

The update will improve battery life in some circumstances according to the company. Nokia flashed our Lumia 800 review device to the latest firmware this week and we can confirm that the British Airways, eBay, Ministry of Sound, Sky News and TripAdvisor applications are all baked into the ROM. The Windows Phone version is updated to 7.10.7740.16. The initial update will not include Nokia’s Internet Sharing update, due later.

The Nokia Lumia 800 went on sale across the UK and some European markets. A number of stores in the UK opened early on Wednesday for potential customers. Nokia representatives handed out free chocolate and coffee to potential customers on London’s Oxford Street on Wednesday. British operator Orange revealed this week that the Lumia 800 is the most popular Nokia preorder device to date for the firm. Orange is currently running a promotion for existing customers who opt for the Lumia 800. The operator is giving away a free Xbox to existing customers eligible for the promotion. Orange also plans to make the free Xbox 360 offer available to new customers soon too.

  • Anonymous

    Third party apps being baked into ROM is interesting. I’d expect these are sponsored apps, paid for by each company – like the rubbish you get on a PC these days. I wonder if that makes them uninstallable?

    • http://thounsell.co.uk/ Thomas Hounsell

      Third party apps have been on OEM ROMs for the start - they are uninstallable, they just get installed automatically by the first-run wizard. I doubt Nokia are any different.

    • Anonymous

      The only pre-installs I’ve seen are app either from the handset manufacturer (HTC or Samsung’s apps), or by the carrier (Orange’s apps). I’ve not seen totally independent apps bundled like this before – this feels different. If the ‘model’ is like it is on the PC, the app owners will have paid Nokia to pre-install their apps. So I was wondering whether there was some restriction on uninstalling them.

  • Anonymous

    any word on the disappearing keyboard being fixed in build 7740?

    • http://techin5.com Jubbin Grewal @Techin5.com

      Nope, nothing on that yet. Not this update.

  • Drewius

    I got my Lumia yesterday, and I promptly uninstalled all but the BA one. I’m assuming it’s similar with the new ROM.

  • Josh T.

    I heard there’s going to be an update that will fix the camera in this and the N9. I hope that’s true. I saw it mentioned in a few news sites, but I’m surprised it wasn’t reported here and at Neowin.

    • Anonymous

      I had not heard the camera was broke.

    • Anonymous

      It isnt but Nokia pride themselves on having the best cameras and there is a few tweeks to make it better ie imporve autofocus speeds and the slight tint some photos get. Its nothing normal users would notice but it makes for something to dig at.

    • Anonymous

      Not ‘broke’, but there have been issues reported. Damian Dinning, the camera/optics guru for Nokia devices, is working on camera updates for both the N9 and the Lumia 800 (per his twitter account – @PhoneDaz)

  • http://twitter.com/authenticjb Jon

    @Drewius how lumia feels? I am going to buy one

    • Drewius

      I love it! The battery is a bit lacking, but I put that down to its first charge. The feel of it and the software is top notch!

    • http://www.segana.co.uk segana

      I’d have to agree with Drewius, the Lumia is just a fantastic device. Had an iPhone and an Android device and the Lumia + WindowsPhone just feels fresh. The design of the phone helps too as it definately has a certain wow factor to it. I’ll wait to reserve judgement on the battery as I too think it’s a little lacking, but then I have been using the phone pretty non-stop since I bought it yesterday, so I’m hoping as my use levels out and I get a few charges into it, the battery might perform a little better.

    • Brian81 Bt

      Hey I’m waiting for the cyan colour but did you get a full days use from your initial charge ?
      Thanks

  • Impartial

    Awesome, mine is arriving tomorrow morning! I can’t wait! I am upgrading from a Nokia 1800 so the change is going to be fricking amazing!

    BTW guys, I got mine on Vodafone for £25 a month (600 mins, 3000 texts and 500 mg of data) + £10 for 75 minutes of international calls (optional) – I just say so cos if you have been a client for a while they will give you a better prize after some proper haggling

  • Anonymous

    I think the buzz surrounding Windows Phone and Nokia’s Lumia 800 right now is very exciting! The future looks good!  :)

  • mnl

    can you give us details on the ‘particular fix’ and how overall battery life might be improved by the upcoming update?

  • http://www.dijitaldevrim.com Dijital Devrim

    Cool. Nice step

  • Samgeorgecarey

    Any further news re the battery? My batt life doesn’t last a working day, 7:00 – 18:00, which is ridiculous bearing in mind I barely use it and turn off 3g, etc. I love the phone but can’t perservere with it if I need to charge it during the day. This morning, after a full charge, it said I had a day and 5 hours remaining. I played a game for an hour and that caused the batt to go down to 2 hours – ridiculous!