Microsoft has officially announced that it started rolling out its latest Windows Phone 8.1 Lumia Denim update to various devices, adding neat new features and improvements.

Windows Phone users have been patiently waiting for the Lumia Denim update to start rolling out, as the new firmware will bring a number of notable treats to the table. Microsoft announced the update a while ago, and now it has revealed that the rollout has kicked off.

"Please give a warm welcome to Lumia Denim, the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update!" Microsoft announced in a new post on the Lumia Conversations blog.

"First, there was Lumia Amber. Then came Lumia Black and Lumia Cyan. Now Lumia Denim, our newest update, has started rolling out and will soon be available for your Lumia," further touts the announcement.

Lumia Denim will bring several exciting features to Lumia devices, combining the latest Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 with premium and exclusive Lumia innovations. The new update will bring Cortana in markets where it's available, which currently include the U.S., China, and the UK in "beta," and Australia, Canada, India, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain in "alpha." Voice activation is also on the table, allowing users to activate their Lumia smartphone from idle state simply by uttering "Hey Cortana."

Another highlight of Lumia Denim is Live Folders, which allows users to organize their apps into folders on their Start screen for easier access. The newly-updated Glance Screen, meanwhile, will now show fitness and other health-related activity from MSN's Health and Fitness app.

An improved Internet Explorer will now allow users to browse and connect faster, while also boasting improved downloading speeds on mobile websites. Lastly, another key feature of Lumia Denim is Consumer VPN, which aims to increase the safety and security of the smartphone when connected to public, unprotected Wi-Fi networks.

Owners of the higher-end Lumia Icon, Lumia 1520, Lumia 930, and Lumia 830, meanwhile, will also be able to enjoy an updated Lumia Camera, which delivers "images of the highest quality at the fastest speed with only milliseconds between shots."

For now, the new Lumia Denim update has started rolling out to a limited number of devices in select markets, but will continue to expand in waves by device. According to Microsoft, a wider rollout will commence this month, aiming to bring Lumia Denim to all Lumia smartphones running Windows 8.1.

Lumia device owners can check the Lumia Denim availability at this link to see when their device will get the update. In the meantime, watch the video below for a hands-on demo of Lumia Denim.