Starting today, Microsoft is pushing out the first major update to its Windows Phone operating system, to 98% of Windows Phone users (the other two will just have to wait). It’s loaded with changes and improvement, and this time around, the rollout process appears to be pretty smooth. Another nice touch: Mango beta users (right here) will get the update to the final version like everybody else – you won’t have to downgrade to NoDo as previously stated.
There’s very little to say about what’s new in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, mostly since its feature set has been known for a long time, and because Microsoft looked the other way as non-developers installed the beta and release candidate versions on their mobile phones.
In fact, Microsoft even made a very welcome concession to Mango beta users. Up until a few days ago, Microsoft’s official position was that users of the beta had to downgrade to a pre-Mango copy (usually the backup Zune made before installing the Mango beta) before upgrading to the final version of Mango. As such, I properly backed up my NoDo backup. Imagine my surprise when Microsoft announced support for updating the Mango beta to the final version, through a number of pre-Mango clean-up updates.
Long story short: no matter the version of your Windows Phone install (NoDo or Mango beta), you can use Zune to update to the final version.
Anywho, the major features should be known by now. First and foremost, there’s My First Multitasking, which we already know from iOS. Applications do need to be updated to support saving state, though, so it will take a while for this to become truly useful. You can access ‘multitasking’ by holding down the back button to open a webOS-like card view.
Another major new feature – and one that I as a beta user can confirm is the most important new feature – is Internet Explorer 9. This version of mobile Internet Explorer, while still not as good as Mobile Safari, is definitely very usable, and no longer an embarrassment to use.
For the rest, there are a lot of other changes and improvements I’m not going to be listing them here – Microsoft did so for you. One thing they can’t put on the feature list is this one: Mango is fast. I’m not kidding. For me, it was like night and day. Your mileage may vary, obviously, but for me it’s one of the main reasons to jump onto the Mango bandwagon.
One last feature that merits discussion is mobile hotspot, tethering, internet sharing, whatever you want to call it. Yes, this is part of Mango, but it’s severely crippled at this point. The problem is two-fold. First, your phone needs to have a wireless chipset capable of not just receiving a signal, but also broadcasting it. If you have a Windows Phone with a Broadcom 4329 chip (802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth), then you can use internet sharing. If you’re one of the less lucky users with a Broadcom 4325 chips (802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth), however, then you won’t get internet sharing.
However, this isn’t the end of the story. The issue is that internet sharing was a last-minute addition, and phone makers did not have enough time to bundle the feature and the necessary driver update with the current Mango update. As such, even if you have the right chipset, you’re going to have to wait until a second update which will enable the feature. Of course, you’ll have to get carrier approval as well.
You can check the roll-out schedule for the US and the rest of the world. From what I’m gathering, pretty much everyone is getting the update, so get out there, and update. We Windows Phone users have to stick together!
Well, until October 10, when my contract renewal is up and I get to pick a new phone for free. Samsung Galaxy SII (white) here I come!
I reverted my phone back last week in preperation for the update. I have had to put up with non-multitasking for a week when I didnt have to!!
Lovely update though, few differences from the beta (few more features work!). Now looking forward to spotify for mango
no way Id put windows on a phone, thats for sure
defrags and scans for viruses when idle? (kidding)
I have spent many hours using windows phone OS and it was a sad experience. Mango might be better though, but I wouldnt count on it.
Some Samsung device would be my choice too I think:)
I’ve been holding off on getting a new phone until Mango. Here’s a pretty good review…
http://thisismynext.com/2011/09/27/windows-phone-75-mango-review/
I’ve been interested in Windows Phone too, as possibly a third alternative to iOS and Android, but like pre-iOS5 and iTunes, if I have to use/install the craptastic Zune software on Windows to perform updates and/or get files on/off the phone, that is a deal breaker, esp for the latter. I need to know that I can go to any PC and transfer files to and from the PC without any additional software required (mass storage devices ftw).
Agreed, although Zune is massively better than iTunes. It’s very light and quick, unlike iTunes, which is slower than a fat man on a broken unicycle.
Doesn’t really matter if you hate them both though, does it? It’s like saying that the shit I took last night was better than the one I took this morning.
True, but it seems like that unless you go with Android, you’re pretty much stuck with one of these horrible applications. As such, picking the “right” one isn’t entirely unimportant.
I just won’t buy a phone that dictates what operating system I will have to use on my computer. Still hoping to get a N9, if it ever shows up that is, which will be my last nokia.
That’s the one I want as well. Seems like a very capable phone. There are rumours that only 92450 or so units have been produced, but I think that’s bullshit as Nokia are marketing it pretty heavily, despite it being a phone many people already want.
Agree. On bada, you have to face Samsung Kies, which “disaster” doesn’t even remotely describe. On nokia OSs, the reasonably good PC suite is getting replaced by an OVI-branded abomination… It’s getting hard to find a phone without terrible PC connectivity software to deal with.
Edited 2011-09-28 18:14 UTC
USB storage is one the biggest reasons why I use Android. Symbian supports USB storage, too.
once they release the spotify app you can use that for your music needs (they have an app for most the big players but you need premium to take advantage)
Once windows phone gets a bit more share then im sure pic transfers will be supported in whatever app you happen to favour.
Currently I use a small registry hack to mount it as a hard disk which Picasa plays happily with.
http://thetechjournal.com/how-to/turn-windows-phone-7-into-usb-driv…
Zune running the updates is fine by me.
edit: my href was wonkey
Edited 2011-09-28 19:13 UTC
Folk you have 25GB of Skydrive storage. A non-issue.
If on a Mac, there’s the Windows Phone Connector software…so there’s that.
Unfortunately, Windows Phone (and Zune) aren’t supported by Linux/BSD, but for the main two players (Windows and Mac) they are supported.
Additionally, add me as a +1 to the “Zune really is nice to use” camp.
software trashed. I don’t have a WP7 or a Zune, but I do use Zune Pass, and so use the Zune desktop app daily to play music, watch some vids, and I don’t see how anyone could call it “craptastic”. Most that use it acknowledge it to be better than iTunes, and it’s actually one of my favorite apps.
But to each her own, I guess.
But even if you hate the Zune desktop app, why would that be a “deal breaker” wrt WP7? You’d only have to use the Zune app for occassional software updates, anyway. Or spend only a few minutes in the app to sync media onto the handset. Seems strange that that would be a “dealbreaker”.
Edited 2011-09-29 15:40 UTC
No, it’s a credibility breaker.
Well, given that iTunes (the Windows version anyway) is one of the worst pieces of software ever to be released, saying that an app is better than iTunes is hardly a credible benchmark. As for why it is craptastic, I could write paragraphs on that, but the short version is that it gets its ass handed to it by Media Monkey, and I don’t even like MM that much, but it is miles ahead of Zune in functionality.
I’ll answer that with a question… why should I have to use a piece of software I hate for either firmware updates or direct-to-PC file transfers, when Android doesn’t require either one? Hence, there is no reason technically why this should be necessary, other than MS wanting to shove Zune down your throat. Of course, there are practical reasons also… what if I want to get files off a Linux box, or a PC where Zune isn’t required? Then I have to upload to Skydrive first? No thanks
You have a strange definition of “craptastic”. I think that most people would interpret that word as synonymous with “crap”, which Zune software most assuredly is not — in both absolute and relative terms. It’s nice that you find Media Monkey works for you better than Zune, but wouldn’t it be fairer to simply say that Media Monkey is “exemplary” rather than tearing down a perfectly good piece of software?
microsoft will pretty obviously launch windows 8 for phones and desktops and laptops simultaneously. it is not obvious that it will work on current windows phones.
I think it will work. Technically, winphone8 shouldn’t be a problem for current models, the handsets on the market have strong minimum hardware.
But if MS won’t offer it, there will be a backlash, massive negative PR. By that time, they most likely still won’t have a market position which would afford them allowing for such PR; they will very much need and prefer a good PR (like, say, when offering an upgrade). And I’m sure they know it.
By that time, they possibly still won’t have too many long time users. Not enough to be notably impacted by handset / license sales lost to any upgrade. Continuing to build the mindshare will be more important.
But I wonder when we might get paid phone OS upgrades (not only from MS; Apple already charged for iPod Touch upgrades after all), especially when the hardware might reach “good enough” stage sooner than we think (after all it is already limited largely by battery tech …which doesn’t improve very rapidly)
Windows 8 system requirements will be same as Windows 7, if not lower, which are: 1 GHz CPU (ARM or x86) 1 GB RAM, 16 GB HDD and DirectX 9 capability.
Look at the latest and upcoming smartphone specs: 1.5 GHz ARM CPU, 1 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, DirectX 9 capable GPU and qHD screen. Let’s not forget upcoming Intel Moorestown x86 CPU for phones and tablets.
Why do we need Windows Phone 7 when we can run Windows 8 with Metro UI on the same hardware?
Windows 9 will most likely unify the two.
A year to update a phone OS? Really?? And how many updates did Apple and Google push for their phones in their first year? I’ve tried all three, each has its quirks, iOS is the smoothest and most capable, which stands to reason since it has been around the longest. Android is the geek’s phone OS, some basic functions are buried deep down in menus. And Windows Phone 7 System-whatever has the cryptic Metro interface that just doesn’t cut it for me (just my opinion, it might work fine for others, but look at the numbers, I think they’re on my side).
The only problem I have with android, and its a big problem, is that the phone manufacturers never update their phones… So even if they(Google) release quite often I have a better feeling that MS will update all the hardware instead of Samsung saying “We did are obligatory 2 releases over 18 months, lets stop”.
Two updates in 18 months is a problem? I have and HTC Inspire that I have had for almost a year and have had two updates already. Even if they don’t send out any more updates, I have only one more year to go before it is time to change the phone.
Each phone ecosystem has its quirks. For me Android works best. I can see how some would like iOS better. WP7 still seems to be more than a year behind. With the death of WebOS and Blackberry & Nokia fading fast I hope WP7 catches up soon as I would hate to have only two choices in the smartphone market.
How exactly does that in one year it is time to change the phone (particularly one quite powerful even now, most likely even then) work? Especially if the phone works fine… (bar any possible cessation of official OS upgrades of course)
We really shouldn’t succumb so easily to imposed upgrades, to carriers promoting them.
If you are tackling this from user perspective I believe Android clones give best of both worlds: diverse user experience choices while preserving (mostly) api compatibility.
Having to rewrite every app to another set of apis that differ for the sake of being different doesn’t benefit anybody but the api creator.
Rooting is your friend. I know it’s not something people want to hear but my Evo 4G is right now running the HTC Runnymede OS. Sure some things need a bit of work but there are so many alternatives. Cyanogenmod should work for most. If I didn’t have these OS upgrades I would have gotten pretty bored with my Evo. Rooting just extends the life of your phone so much!
This is the second update to WP7. There was the earlier “NoDo” update.
While by all accounts Mango is a vast improvement over Microsoft’s previous attempts at a phone (and let’s be honest, what wouldn’t be), everybody else still does it better.
I think for a marketing tag line Microsoft should use: “Mango, another ‘me too’ technology from the company you trust.”
How so?