Microsoft Announces Cortana Improvements & Lumia Denim at IFA

Yesterday at IFA in Berlin, we heard a whole bunch about new products coming from Samsung and Sony, to name only two. Microsoft took the time to make some announcements of its own at the European electronics expo, unveiling “Lumia Denim,” a pretty big update to Windows Phone handsets made by Nokia.

According to Nokia, the Lumia Denim update is pretty robust. For starters, Windows Phone 8.1 across the board now supports Live Folders, allowing users to move apps and games into different folders to better organize them – a feature that’s been around for a little while on Android and iOS. Moreover, Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, is being pushed to the UK and China in beta, while India, Canada, and Australia can try Cortana out in alpha.

Additionally, the Lumia Denim update means that Cortana is getting better, too, with a new feature to let users launch the app without hitting any buttons as long as the phone is idle. By saying, “Hey Cortana,” the digital assistant will activate – much like Android’s “OK Google” feature.

Lumia Denim for Lumia devices will also make big improvements to the camera. The new app – called, appropriately Lumia Camera – replaces the old Nokia Camera app, and is apparently “faster and more intuitive than before to make the best camera experience even better.” Nokia claims that the speed with which users can take cameras will be even faster, and a new Moment Capture feature has been added to the “4K-quality video recording at 24 FPS.” So if you want a still image from video you shoot on your Lumia, that should be easy and of high quality. Nokia also says that Lumia Camera will feature “improved image processing algorithms” as well as “auto HDR and dynamic flash.” Overall, Nokia’s longstanding commitment to great photos on its phones seems to have remained through its acquisition by Microsoft.

When the Lumia 830, 730 Dual SIM, and 735 ship, they’ll come packed with Lumia Denim already loaded. Other Lumia Windows Phone 8.1 handsets will receive the update starting Q4 2014, so likely by October or November at the latest.

[Nokia’s Lumia Denim Update]