Microsoft have just taken the lid off their latest update to Windows Phone named ‘Mango’ and WOW what an update it is.
So sit back, grab a drink and take time to read up on all the information below
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Nokia Conversations have confirmed that this will be the build of the OS which their first Windows Phone will launch on and have given a great list of improvements which we will share with you below
Communications
- Better social integration – Facebook was already deeply integrated into Windows Phone. Mango sees the arrival of Twitter and Linked-In to the mix, with the latest updates from your contacts appearing in contacts. Facebook location check-ins are now also supported and there’s new facial-recognition software to make tagging photos easier before you upload them.
- Linked inbox – This frequently-requested view allows users to combine the contents of several inboxes into one. Mail is organised into conversations, so the latest updates are always at the top.
- Threads – Carry on your conversation with SMS, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger on the same screen – so you can concentrate on the information, not which app you’re using.
- Hands-free messaging – Text-to-voice and voice-to-text engines allow for easier texting and chatting while you’re on the move.
- Groups – put a bunch of contacts into their dedicated Live Tile so you can quickly see their latest updates and send a text, email or IM to the whole group right from the home screen.
Smarter apps
- Improved Live Tiles – these can now hold more information and be more dynamic.
- App Connect – apps can now be included in searches (e.g. when you search for ‘movies’, the results include apps that help you find films showing in local cinemas).
- Multitasking – switch quickly between apps and allow apps to run in the background.
Better Internet
- Internet Explorer 9 – the built-in browser provides support for HTML5 and full hardware acceleration.
- Local Scout – This app provides hyper-local search results for information on shopping, restaurants and activities.
- Better Bing – Mango provides new ways to search including Bing Vision, Bing Audio and voice.
So just to recap.. Still no custom ringtones, ability to attach more than one item to an email and no mass storage support but more intergration with social networking. Ahh just what people were asking for!
Nice recap, but here is a slightly better one…
■ Outlook Conversation View
– Emails combined together in threads■ Lync
Messaging Client – Enterprise messaging client – VIDEO■ Twitter – Tweets
integration into people hub■ Office 365 integration
– Office 365 features built-in – New Video■ Bing Vision – Scan QR,
Microsoft Tags, books, CDs and DVDs . New Video■ Bing Audio – Similar
to Shazam, will identify songs■ Windows
Live Messenger integration – Integrated into the people hub and
messaging hub – More info updated■
Facebook Chat
integration – Integrated into the people hub and messaging hub■
AOL Messenger integration
– Integrated into the people hub and messaging hub■ Contacts grouping –
Create groups of contacts to send messages to■ Xbox LIVE sync function
– Sync function to likely sync settings/games across devices■ Now
playing artist information on lock screen – album art on the lock
screen■ Visual Voicemail
support – Visual voicemail using same method as iOS/Android■
Network awareness NCSI support – improvements for switching between
networks/optimization■ Internet Explorer 9
mobile – HTML5 support and hardware acceleration – VIDEO■ Multitasking support –
switch quickly between apps■ Fast application resume – quickly resume
recently used apps – New Video■ Podcast support –
download podcasts via the Marketplace■ Turn-by-turn navigation in Bing Maps
– voice guided directions and turn-by-turn■ SMS dictation – Microsoft tellme
dictates messages – wpcentral
article■ East Asian Language keyboard support – additional
language support■ Handwriting and dictionary support – support for writing
Chinese characters■ Pin Outlook Folders –
Pin folders as favorites inside Outlook■ SkyDrive integration –
Access SkyDrive documents from Office Hub■ Kinect support for games
– interact with Kinect and Xbox games from Windows Phone■ Outlook email server search
– search Exchange servers from Outlook client■ Complex
(alpha-numeric) password support – strong number and character password
support■ Information Rights Management – support for protecting e-mails and
Office documents■ Ringtone support – third party ringtone support■ App
list – automatically detect list, implemented jump list and search for apps■
Marketplace search improvements – apps, podcasts, music separated for easy
search■ App install improvements – progress bar install UI■ Search
extras – User search actions can be connected to third-party apps■ Motion
Sensor – apps to use new gyroscope hardware■ Background audio –
apps can run audio in the background■ File download service – third-party
apps can download files from the web■ Alarms – alarm notifications for
third-party apps■ Pin app features – Users can pin live tiles of deep app
features in third-party apps■ Zune
Smart DJ mix – allows users to discover new music and save/create
playlists■ Update Live Tile system – VIDEO■ Access to over 1500
APIs■ Support for Qualcomm MSM7X30 and MSM8X55 SoCs■ Added 16
Languages■ Increased country support for app submission and download■
Performance increases – VIDEO – VIDEO■ Battery
life enhancements■ Support for access to hidden corporate Wi-Fi
networks■ Unified inbox. You will now have multiple accounts in just one
Hub■ Games Hub gets a facelift, including ‘sync’ option (potentially for
online-game play)■ Native Checkins are coming e.g. Facebook Places■ Apps
Search Button on Start Menu . VIDEO■ Improved Bluetooth
support coming to Windows Phone 7.5
Even with this greatly incomplete list, its pretty clear that no other mobile
OS on the market has as many features built into the core system and they have
done all this in a third of the time it took for the copetition to get they are
today.
It would be nice if people just quit the whole allegiance thing and just gave
credit where credit is due.
Thanks, Jin. you basically confirmed everything for me. No ability to attach more than one item to an email and no mass storage support but more intergration with social networking.
I have no idea what devices you have been using but it has been possible to attach multiple items to an email since day one. Using the phone as a mass storage device has been available for quite some time…. http://www.wpcentral.com/enable-usb-sto
Its pretty clear that you (like many) dont really know much about the platform so your mis-informed response comes as no surprise.
You mentioned features built in to the “core system”. A third party tool to gain storage access does not constitute as a core system feature. As for e-mail attachments, I quote from the official Windows Phone 7 FAQ:
“You can attach more than one picture, but you can only attach one Office file to
each message. If you want to send more than one Office file, you’ll need a
message for each attachment.”
Doesn’t look like you know as much about the platform as you claim, which comes as no surprise given the arrogance of your response.
Here, have a read of the FAQ for yourself, you never know, you may learn something else you didn’t know. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/people/email-attachments-faq.aspx
That third party tool is completely separate from the Windows Phone 7 OS, it is a tool for the PC which makes absolutely zero changes to the phone itself. This means that mass storage support is already built into the core system, its just hidden from Windows by default.
Your statement reads “No ability to attach more than one item to an email” . An “item” could mean anything, pictures included which the phone is already capable of. Please post a link that states multiple document attachment wont be part of Mango. Thanks.
I have a link but it’s no good to you because it contains flash content!
I couldnt agree more! Even though my HTC Desire HD has flash support, it lags like crazy, doubles page loading times and constantly causes the browser to crash thus rendering the feature completely useless. Post it anyway, i look at it on my PC cheers!
There’s no point. Your Windows PC will probably do the same thing!
Actually it doesn’t, not even in the slightest, IE9 handles it pretty beautifully so it must be just an Android thing. Either way, what we have established here is that your claims are baseless kinda like the rest of your comments on here. Oh well, I guess Ignorance is bliss!
How childish. Surely there are better things that can do with your time rather than bickering and trying to score points regarding operating systems, whether mobile or otherwise….
Still no USB direct sync with M’soft Outlook, what a disappointment!
custom ringtones have already been announced steve…..
Then I take that one back, but still, I was expecting more than what mainly seems to be just a browser update and more social networking integration. Pretty sure people were expecting more. Bit of an anti-climax after announcing “500 new features”.
sure wish they could have brought these fixes and updates to 6.5.x as well!!!
Too little too late. It explains it all, what else I can say.
I am wondering just what the 500 improvements are?? Im not sure I could buy a phone that is Windows based. As someone said early, too little too late, and it did feel like an anti-climax 🙁 Shame!
Nice to see the Microsoft hate still burning bright!! Jin, good work on the list.