Windows Phone 8 update's third Live Tile column only for full-HD phones: Microsoft

Microsoft rolled out its much-awaited third Windows Phone 8 update earlier this week, which promised some of the major updates to the Windows Phone platform.

However, it seems that the update would not help the devices with low-screen resolution or without full-HD displays, if Microsoft's VP of Windows Phone program is believed. Joe Belfiore of Microsoft confirmed that the third Windows Phone update would not bring the third Live Tile column in the Start menu for low-screen resolution smartphones, and that other size-related UI changes (such as number of rows of tiles) detailed in the third Windows Phone update are only for large screen devices with full-HD display.

Belfiore's tweetreads, "For those asking-- 3rd column in start (and all the other related UI changes throughout OS) are for LARGE SCREEN devices only (w 1080p)."

The news also confirms that high-end Nokia Lumia smartphones that include Nokia Lumia 1020, Nokia Lumia 925 and even flagship, Nokia Lumia 920 would not get the third Live Tile column with the update. However, Nokia's rumoured Lumia 1520, which allegedly supports full-HD display, will get the third Live Tiles column and the other UI changes introduced in the third Windows Phone update.

Microsoft had mentioned that the new update for Windows Phones will be rolled out in the coming weeks and will be continuing for some months depending on the carrier and phone models. However, the company had not detailed anything about region-specific rollouts of the latest third Windows Phone update.

Some of the major features introduced to the Windows Phone platform includes support for bigger display (5-inch and 6-inch displays) that will now house six Live Tiles instead of four, as found in previous version; support for higher resolution (full-HD or 1080p) displays; support for more powerful processors, like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, and improvements in Internet sharing, which now adds a pairing feature for a Windows Phone 8 device and Windows 8.1 PC or tablet over Bluetooth for sharing cellular data via Wi-Fi hotspot.