Phones with 1080p screens will be able to cram even more live tiles onto the Start screen.

Microsoft

In a double whammy of Windows Phone news, Microsoft has officially announced Windows Phone Update 3 and has started a new scheme by which developers can get access to firmware updates even before their carriers have approved them.

The third update will expand Windows Phone’s hardware support while offering a range of software improvements. The big-ticket hardware item is support for 1080p screens and quad core Snapdragon 800 processors. Nokia is expected to unveil a new 1080p handset with Update 3 next week.

On the software front, there are no new APIs for developers, but there are a bunch of features for users. Driving Mode will disable most alerts and notifications whenever the phone is paired to a particular Bluetooth device. Internet Sharing will be enhanced—pair a phone to Windows 8.1 by Bluetooth and the PC will be able to turn on sharing just by connecting to the phone’s network, with no need to enter the password or take the phone out of your pocket to enable sharing.