Windows Phone 7.1 ''Mango'' Due This Autumn
Microsoft held a small VIP gathering to showcase the new features in the upcoming Windows Phone Mango update.
Tuesday Microsoft held a VIP press conference in New York City for around 40 to 50 people to showcase the upcoming features planned for Window Phone 7's "Mango" update. According to Microsoft president of mobile communications Andy Lees, the company set out to make the smarphone "smarter and easier" with the new update, to provide innovation and choice "without fragmentation and frustration," taking an obvious jab at Google's Android OS.
Mango will focus on three specific categories: communicating with friends and family, apps, and accessing the internet. Rather than dump a number of extra apps into the OS to get the job done, Mango instead will take the people-centric approach. "We wanted to set people at the center of our focus by bringing people forward," said senior project manager Derek Snyders.
Numerous features that will be included in Mango have already been covered in prior reports: multitasking for allowing several apps to run simultaneously without reduction in performance or battery life, the integration of Internet Explorer 9 and its support for HTML5 and hardware acceleration, and Threading which allows the user to toggle between messages received via texting, Windows Live Messenger, Facebook chat and more.
Live tiles have improved, providing updated information without having related apps running in the background. They're also more dynamic, lighting up and flipping around, capable of storing more information than before. Notifications will now be pushed into these new Tiles, and friend profiles will be updated on the phone in real-time. Related people can even be bunched together into "Groups."
As for other Mango features, they're broken down as follows:
- Microsoft Exchange, Facebook and LinkedIn integration
- A smarter keyboard for a "much more intuitive typing experience"
- A linked inbox for adding multiple email accounts into one client
- Built-in speech-to-text and text-to-speech software for hands-free messaging
- Local search results and recommendations thanks to Local Scout
- Quick cards for providing a summary and relevant application(s) for search results on products, movies, places and more
- More Bing features like Bing Vision, Voice and Music Search
- Apps will be integrated into the hubs
- Like the Xbox 360, gaming will be a social experience
- App Connect will connect and integrate applications on their search results in Windows Phone Hubs
- Visual Search that requires no speaking, no typing, just the built-in camera
Obviously Microsoft didn't go into the full list of 500+ features – that would likely require an all-day event. But the company did reveal that Mango will be unleashed to Windows Phone 7 devices this fall – developers can access the SDK starting Tuesday. Mango will also bring greater international support, addressing a market that's four times larger than the original Windows Phone 7 launch. Nokia, Samsung, LG and HTC will be releasing new phones based on the Mango build, and new partners like Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE have already signed on.
To check out Mango in action, WinRumors has thrown up a few videos on YouTube showcasing Windows Live Messenger, Groups, Outlook and Linked Inboxes, and a few others:
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Windows Live Messenger
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Check In
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Groups
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Outlook & Linked Inboxes
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Xbox Hub
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Multitasking
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Office and SkyDrive
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Bing Local Scout
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Zune SmartDJ
- Windows Phone Mango Demo – Pictures Pin & Tag
- Lady Gaga is a Chrome User and YouTube Lover
- Report: iPhone 5 to Have Curved Glass Screen
- Sony BMG Greece Hacked, User Info Revealed
- Microsoft Kissing Windows Mobile 6 Goodbye
- Sony to Post $3.2 Billion Loss From Last Year
- Apple Replaces Paper Signs with iPad 2s
- Judge Banning ''John Doe'' File-Sharing Lawsuits
- Does Hardware in Smartphones Matter?
- City Cycle: The Bus Bar Bike Thing
- 'Hurt Locker' Studio Now Suing Nearly 50K Pirates
- Hubless Bike: Ultimate Minimal Bike Design
- Report: U.S. Broadband Is Just Mediocre
- Rumor: Twitter Bought TweetDeck For Around $50M
- Rumor: Cisco May Consider Selling Linksys
- This is the First Reveal for Modern Warfare 3
- PSP Games to Get Remastered, Ported to PS3
- iPad 2 Supply to Suffer From Foxconn Explosion
- B&N Reveals New E-Reader Similar to Kindle
- Honda Smart Home System Manages Your Energy
I think with this update Windows Phone will be a real competitor to Android and IOS, unless they fail to deliver on the features. Does anybody know what Android and IOS will be bringing to the table this fall? I hope this kicks off a feature escalation war between the three companies. More competition, more delicious gadget Pr0n.
I hope custom ringtones are on this list. Its annoying that I can't set my own.
I love my windows phone 7, but the only thing i do not like is that you cannot use it as a thumb drive, and there is no file explorer like explorer in windows os, but they can make a app for that, or even put it in the mango update
Will skype added on as the "facetime" of WP7?
Most likely Skype will be a standalone app as shown at MIX11 earlier this year, then updated to be more integrated in an update post-Mango I would think. I think the Skype deal is too fresh to get it into Mango which is nearly complete at this point.
If it takes until this fall they will yet again be behind......by then gingerbread should be common in new phones with others starting to receive android 2.4 (icecream sandwich)
I think with this update Windows Phone will be a real competitor to Android and IOS, unless they fail to deliver on the features. Does anybody know what Android and IOS will be bringing to the table this fall? I hope this kicks off a feature escalation war between the three companies. More competition, more delicious gadget Pr0n.
Apple will introduce a curved screen for iPhone 5...now that's innovation.
The one thing that it is doing is really bringing a lot of what the iOS and Android users have gotten through apps into the core OS. The seamless integration of multiple chat and social networks into 1 area is pretty slick, the Bing integration is exactly what a search system should be, and overall there are 500 said features which should include things as custom ringtones so no worries there. Microsoft is playing catchup, but instead of fighting the others head on with an App war, they really are making the Core OS as powerful and polished as possible with an integration of the apps to make everything flow and seamless based on the task you are working to accomplish. That on top of the amazing apps that will now be made with the Mango SDK should make for a nice boost to the already great selection we have already.
Still Loving my HTC Arrive.
Apple will introduce a curved screen for iPhone 5...now that's innovation.
Thats to coincide with them bringing back their first generation crt imacs! Curved is the new black.
Awhile ago(just before they teamed up with nokia actually) I predicted MS was going to take over the smart phone market someday. I still think they will. But I think someday isn't here just yet. I was expecting a huge and totally new WP8 to come out alongside windows8, xbox720, new improved kinect tech for all microsoft products, and windows for tablets. If I was king of microsoft I would've pushed for this and I would've tried to time them all to come out simultaneously.
It appears now that isn't going to happen. Too bad.
oh, and a curved iphone? thats just retarded.
Microsoft only have 6 days left until the end of Autumn. They better get the Windows Phone 7.1 update out soon.
can't wait!!
If they want to add a really useful feature it should be localization. At the moment you can only pick from a handful of languages, most of which aren't a users common tongue in europe. Most scandinavians that can easily afford a smartphone would be held back by the english language used in it. A dictionary in the local language would be a good start, but a localized ui would be the optimal feature for a bigger spread of the system.
Until it can speak the local language, I don't see how I can recommend a windows phone to someone above 30. Many who grew up 'before the internet' aren't sufficiently proficient in english to use a windows phone.
Anyhow. Looking forward to the update. Running apps in the background's a longed for feature.
Apple will introduce a curved screen for iPhone 5...now that's innovation.
That is so f**king funny I spat my drink out
MS announces 500 OS upgrades
Apple announces curved glass
LOLZ
Read some first impressions on a Japanese site, and it looks good. For one, I'm happy they're finally supporting non-Latin languages.
Where is Skype integration?
I thought it was WP 7.5 as previous news revealed.