Details On Windows Phone 7 Mango Update

Details On Windows Phone 7 Mango Update
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What is the Mango Update?

Fresh from announcing details of the NoDo update for Windows Phone 7 that is now likely to appear on devices in March 2011, The Mobile World Congress 2011 event in Barcelona has seen Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer announce the details of the subsequent update, Mango.

While NoDo resolves some performance issues and introduces copy and paste to Windows Phone 7, Mango remains something of a mystery, offering one or two improvements that we know about but not a lot else.

With Mango expected in late 2011, Windows Phone 7 users will be lucky enough to receive two feature upgrades to their devices this year, each intended to bring the devices into line with Microsoft’s ultimate vision for the platform.

What You Get with NoDo

Expected in March 2011, NoDo will bring to Windows Phone 7 the much-anticipated support for copy and paste. Although dropped from the initial release, Microsoft acknowledged countless requests for its instatement on the launch day – at this time the only confirmed functional improvement to the platform’s first update would be copy and paste.

In addition, NoDo adds some performance improvements, apparently enabling fast launch of various apps and games, as well as CDMA support, which should lead to some of the current Windows Phone 7 handsets being sold on the Sprint and Verizon networks in North America.

Finally, NoDo is also expected to deliver an updated Windows Phone Marketplace Hub experience, improving the search function to allow users to search for apps of a specific kind. As things stand, a search will return songs, albums, artists and apps and games, which can make for an overwhelming search experience.

So with all of these improvements, what’s left for Mango?

Windows Phone 7 Mango Details

Mango has been rumoured for some time – ever since the comparatively limited NoDo update was first confirmed – and details are currently scarce.

However, what is known is that Mango will deliver some key functional enhancements, most notably the upgrade of the Internet Explorer browser from a hybrid of IE 7 and 8 to a mobile version of Internet Explorer 9. This will mean that Windows Phone 7 will become able to handle HTML5 web content, allowing for modern websites to be rendered correctly and opening the way for the expected successor to Flash.

In addition, the Windows Phone 7 Mango update is also expected bring Twitter integration into the People Hub, as well as deliver full multitasking; currently Windows Phone 7 operates a tombstoning method of application switching.

Finally, Mango is expected to bring enhanced integration with Windows Live SkyDrive, allowing for more effective saving and synchronization of Office Hub documents.

How to Get the Update

The Windows Phone 7 Mango update will not be available until the second half of 2011, and there is every possibility that this might be delayed by various factors such as the introduction of Nokia Windows Phones or problems testing the update when it is sent out to handset vendors.

Most crucially a delay might occur should Windows Phone 7 receive any interim updates between NoDo and Mango, something that has been suggested.

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