Windows Phone 8 gets its first update

So, last night, Windows Phone 8 got its first update - specifically for the HTC 8X. In this day and age, where iOS is the gold standard and shows the industry how it ought to be done, and Android is the exact opposite, Windows Phone 7 was a bit of an in-between - every phone got every update, but the staggered rollout was slow and frustrating, often due to carrier meddling. How will Windows Phone 8 fare?

I bought my HTC 8X off-contract, unlocked, and completely free of any carrier control. This means my 8X was among the first to receive the update, and so I performed it this morning. Luckily, WP8 finally supports over-the-air updates, so no PC required. It was all pretty painless, but it did take a long time - a total of about 15-20 minutes for what is a very small update, with several moments where I wasn't sure if the phone was doing anything at all.

After the final reboot, I was greeted by a new feature that I've been wanting in Windows Phone ever since I bought my HD7 when the platform was brand-new: the ability to maintain a wifi connection when the device is locked. This has already greatly enhanced my user experience, and I've only had it for a day. Amazing it has taken them this long. The update also addresses a reboot issue some 8X owners were encountering, and also adds SMS drafts and SMS call reject.