Towards the end of last year Nokia launched its first foray into the Windows Phone platform with the release of the Lumia 800, which has mainly been met by positive reactions from users and critics alike. There were a couple of issues though and it seems the Nokia Lumia 800 update has banished battery problems.

The company has released its third software update in only four months, and according to Nokia Conversations the latest firmware upgrade brings big improvements to battery performance and power management. The update was originally set for release on April 18th but it has been brought forward.

It has to be remembered though that the update is staggered around the world and begun rolling out yesterday, and will continue to be pushed out over the next four weeks. By clicking here you can see availability for your carrier and country. If your country is not listed in the first or second phase it’s not that you are going to miss out, but all software updates have to go through Zune or Windows Phone 7 Connector on the Mac.

Also the update has to go through individual carrier testing before being released to handsets. The new software has been put through various tests, and it was found it offers great improvements in battery life using 3G, Wi-Fi, music playback, and general use. It was also found that against smartphones with similar batteries the Lumia 800 was among the top group with regards to battery life.

A user found that after updating their handset they got around 25 to 30 hours of battery life using the device for a variety of uses including GPS. The software update brings some other improvements as well that includes the bass in the audio, which provides enhanced voice quality and more enjoyment from Nokia Music, and the soft keys will now illuminate at all brightness levels as well.

It has also been confirmed that a Wi-Fi tethering feature will become available at some point in the future, but no time scale has been given yet. Have you received the update on your Lumia 800 and what do you think of the handset?