After a tumultuous few weeks, and behind schedule, the Windows Phone 7 copy-and-paste update has finally emerged. Codenamed "NoDo", the upgrade started rolling out earlier today, at least to a few lucky users. The release is being staggered, so exact availability will depend on which handset you own, and, for carrier-branded handsets, which mobile operator you're using.

As well as the update itself, Microsoft has updated its update history page, to describe in a little more detail what improvements the update brings. Though copy-and-paste is obviously the headline feature, the new firmware also boasts faster application startup times, a more reliable Marketplace application with better filtering of results, and a number of small bugfixes covering e-mail and Exchange sync, Facebook integration, and more.

So far it seems that users of unlocked HTC and LG handsets have been first to get the update. Beyond that, it's all a bit of a mystery. WPCentral reported that Canadian telco Telus is telling its users that they won't receive the update until the 29th (at the earliest), but other operators are not being so forthcoming. Nor, for that matter, is Microsoft.

One carrier that is offering NoDo is Sprint. That's because NoDo's other big feature is CDMA support. This past weekend the HTC Arrive (Sprint's branding for the HTC 7 Pro), er, arrived. It's a slider with a 5-row staggered landscape keyboard and a tilting screen—for die-hard keyboardists, it's probably the best Windows Phone 7 option around. The other major CDMA carrier, Verizon, hasn't said much about Windows Phone 7, but with the new CDMA capability, it too is expected to launch a Windows Phone 7 handset, possibly as early as Thursday.