Nokia Lumia 800 update promises better battery life... again

A third update for the Nokia Lumia 800 is available now, once more promising improved battery performance for the Windows Phone-powered mobile.

In a post on its official blog, our favourite Finnish company confirmed that the Lumia 800's third update since launching has started spewing forth ahead of its scheduled 18 April date. That's bound to rile up Samsung Galaxy S2 owners who are still waiting to get Ice Cream Sandwich on their smart phones.

The update won't be arriving on all Lumia 800s straight out of the gate -- it's going to be released over four weeks, with further phased updates taking place on 4 April, 11 April and 18 April.

A handy tool on Nokia's site shows you the status of the update rollout depending on your operator and location. Based on that, it looks like the update is available for those with SIM-free devices or who are on Vodafone, while O2, T-Mobile, Orange and Three are all waiting for approval.

If the information on that tool is accurate, it's definitely something I'd like to see other manufacturers using -- we're always flooded with requests from readers trying to find out when their phones can expect an update.

The update will also bring some adjustments to bass in the Lumia 800's audio, and promising improved voice quality. Wi-Fi tethering is "on its way" but isn't ready yet.

Acquiring the latest update will require you to plug your Lumia 800 into your computer and dire up Microsoft's Zune software.

Better battery life was also the focus of the Lumia 800's last update in January, signalling that Nokia's heard complaints that its fancy phone doesn't cope well away from the mains. It's too early to know whether this latest update will dramatically extend the phone's lifespan, but let me know in the comments if you've found the update affecting battery life one way or another.

The Lumia 800 itself is an impressive phone, and I'm fond of the slick Windows Phone operating system. But Nokia and Microsoft have a fight on their hands if they wants to take on Android and the iPhone.

What do you think of the Lumia 800's battery life? Tell me in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.