WP7 ‘Mango’ update due this Autumn

Microsoft today previewed the next major release of Windows Phone, code name “Mango,” through a series of media events around the world. “Mango” will deliver more than 500 new features to push the boundaries of the smartphone experience around communications, apps and the Internet.  The Mango release will be available for free to Windows Phone 7 customers and is scheduled to ship on new phones beginning this fall; More details on device update timing will be provided closer to availability.  Windows Phone will also add support for additional languages, expand access to apps by launching Marketplace in new countries, and partner with new OEMs to enable expansion to new markets.*

“Seven months ago we started our mission to make smartphones smarter and easier for people to do more,” said Andy Lees, President of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. “With Mango, Windows Phone takes a major step forward in redefining how people communicate and use apps and the Internet, giving you better results with less effort.”

 

Communications: Easier to connect and share

The smartphone experience can be complicated by a sea of disconnected apps and accounts as people attempt to keep pace with all the ways they communicate – from calls, texts, email and IM to status updates, Tweets, check-ins, photo posting and tagging.  To help people stay on top of that growing complexity, the Mango release organises information around the person or group people want to interact with, not the app they have to use. 

. Threads. Switch between text, Facebook chat, and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.

. Groups. Group contacts into personalised Live Tiles to see the latest status updates right from the start screen and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group.

. Deeper social network integration. Twitter and Linked In feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and Mango includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web.

. Linked Inbox. See multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Conversations are organised to make it easy to stay on top of the latest mail.

. Hands-free messaging. Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support enables hands-free texting or chatting.

A smarter approach to apps

Windows Phone will challenge the way people think about apps. Today their usefulness is measured by what can be done within the app, but we see the promise of apps in how they can be integrated directly into the core experiences of the phone. In addition to making it easier to get timely notifications and updates from apps right from the Start Screen, the Mango release will also surface apps as part of search results and within Windows Phone Hubs.  As a result, a useful app is more likely to be right there when you need it.

. App Connect. By connecting apps to search results and deepening their integration with Windows Phone Hubs, including Music and Video and Pictures, Mango allows apps to be surfaced when and where they make sense. 

. Improved Live Tiles. Get real-time information from apps without having to open them.  Live Tiles are more dynamic and can hold more information.

. Multitasking. Quickly switch between apps in use and allow apps to run in the background while helping to preserve battery life and performance.

Taking the Internet beyond the browser

In addition to including Internet Explorer, the Mango release will connect the power of the Web to the unique capabilities of your phone, such as location awareness, camera and access to apps, to present a new way of viewing the Web that is more localised, actionable and relevant.

. Internet Explorer 9. A browser based on the powerful IE9 and including support for HTML5 and full hardware acceleration.

. Local Scout. Provides hyper-local search results and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy- to-use guide.

. Bing on Windows Phone. More ways to search the Web, including Bing Vision, Music Search and Voice so it’s easy to discover and decide.

. Quick Cards. When searching for a product, movie, event or place see a quick summary of relevant information, including related apps.

We will have some more in depth details later.

Posted by: James