At BUILD 2014 Microsoft finally unveiled Windows Phone 8.1. The upcoming major update for its mobile platform comes with many changes, including but not limited to Microsoft’s own Siri and Google Now rival Cortana. Users are anxiously waiting to get their hands on WP8.1 and while its not expected until summer, most are simply waiting for Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview to drop. Joe Belfiore, who runs the team that does WP product definition and design, has said that the developer preview will be released in the “first part of April.”
The reason why most WP users just can’t wait for the developer preview is that Microsoft doesn’t limit it to just developers. Anyone with a compatible Windows Phone 8 device will be able to download Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview and get access to majority of the new features before the official update is rolled out through carriers in summer.
Belfiore also revealed that Bing Music will be a part of Cortana in Windows Phone 8.1, and that Local Scout will be available through Maps. This past week there has been a lot of speculation about when the preview is going to be released. Multiple reports suggested that its coming on April 14th. The date seems plausible, seeing as how it falls within Belfiore’s “first part” time frame.
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