The most significant update in the release is support for a 1080p screen resolution emulator instance. This provides support for the screen configuration used by the Nokia Lumia 1520, allowing developers to more easily test how their apps and games render on a 1080 x 1920 resolution screen. As we have previously noted it is possible for developers to create app layouts specifically for devices with higher resolution screens.
There are no major new publicly accessible APIs in the release, but there are minor bug fixes for a number of existing APIs. However, as with the GDR2 update, it does appear that there are some non-public API changes that can be used by manufacturers to enable additional functionality (e.g. updated functionality for Nokia's Glance Screen and Colour Profiles). It is also understood that there are some enablers for a yet-to-be-released Bluetooth LE SDK add-on.
According to the Microsoft download page the SDK update adds five new emulator images (development targets):
The Windows Phone SDK 8.0 Update for Windows Phone 8.0.10512 adds the following to an existing installation of Windows Phone SDK 8.0:
- New Windows Phone Emulator 8.0 Update 3 WVGA
- New Windows Phone Emulator 8.0 Update 3 WVGA 512 MB
- New Windows Phone Emulator 8.0 Update 3 WXGA
- New Windows Phone Emulator 8.0 Update 3 720p
- New Windows Phone Emulator 8.0 Update 3 1080p
These images reflect the four specification configurations currently used by Windows Phone 8. Three screen resolution (WVGA, WXGA, 720p, and 1080p) for 2GB/1GB (high spec) devices, and one screen resolution (WVGA) for 512MB (low spec) devices.
The update, which is 943.0MB in size, can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center. Do note that the Windows Phone SDK 8.0 and Visual Studio 2012 Update 4 must be installed before you can install Windows Phone SDK 8.0 Update for Windows Phone 8.0.10512.