Entertainment minded Windows Phone users rejoice, according to Microsoft, it’s next update to the Windows Phone 8 operating system -dubbed GDR2, will restore FM radio compatibility and include podcast support for Windows Phone 8 users across the world.
Microsoft’s Michael Stroh posted about the changes this morning in a post centered around the announcement of the Lumia 925 saying, that in addition to adding syncing for Google’s CalDav and CardDav syncing options, the GDR2 update would also include compatibility with the FM tuner that’s already built into most Windows Phone devices.
While every member of the company’s Zune media devices and Windows Phone 7 had FM radio support, the feature was dropped for some reason in Windows Phone 8, resulting in a nasty shock for users who relied on the feature to listen to music or stay informed.
GDR2 will finally bring podcast support to Windows Phone users outside of the United States as well. While podcast support was included in Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8, users in other territories were not able to access the Zune Podcast Marketplace.
Just in case you didn’t think the company was trying hard enough, GDR2 will also make it easier for users to “select, download, and pink tunes in Xbox Music and improve the accuracy of song info and metadata”.
Finally, Microsoft will make Windows Phone 8’s Data Sense application available for other carriers besides Verizon to interface with, though it’s unclear if any new carriers will do so. Data Sense allows users to carefully manage the amount of mobile data they are consuming via an application on their device.
Microsoft says that it expects to begin making the update available to users “this summer” and that it will initially ship on Nokia’s Lumia 925 when it reaches American and international shores sometime “this summer”.
