Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Mobile

    Microsoft’s Windows Phone ‘Mango’ Rolling Out

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    September 27, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Microsoft’s rollout of its long-awaited Windows Phone “Mango” update (also known as Windows Phone 7.5) has begun, but some smartphone owners may need to wait several weeks before it arrives on their device.

      Microsoft hopes that Mango’s hundreds of tweaks and new features will draw more attention from consumers, and give its hardware partners-including Nokia-a stronger software platform for their new Windows Phone devices. Microsoft faces a variety of fierce competitors in the mobility space, including Apple’s iPhone and a growing army of Google Android devices.

      Some of those new features, such as multitasking and a revamped Office hub, are major. Others are under-the-hood adjustments meant to improve performance or fix niggling bugs. Those desiring alpha-numeric passwords now have the ability to add one. For those Office 365 users who want to tweak their documents via their smartphone, and have those chances sync between devices, that capability is present as well.

      Smartphones loaded with Mango have the option to operate as WiFi hotspots for nearby devices, provided that feature is enabled by a carrier. Microsoft’s new Web Marketplace, according to a Sept. 27 posting on the Windows Phone blog, “will serve as your online resource to discover, try and buy new apps and games … and get them automatically delivered to your phone without any complicated multi-step installs.”

      Microsoft has also updated its online calendar for tracking Windows Phone updates, where Windows Phone 7.5 is currently listed as in the “delivering update” stage for all carriers. “To help ensure quality, software updates are typically sent out gradually and/or in batches,” reads a note on the Website, “so it might take several weeks before you receive notice that an update is available for your phone.”

      Microsoft will almost certainly apply extra effort to ensuring the update proceeds smoothly, considering how its previous infrastructure updates encountered a few snafus. In February, a small subset of users reported an update stalled their smartphones, which kicked off a vigorous round of corporate damage control. Given the size and importance of Mango to the overall Windows Phone strategy, Microsoft would doubtlessly like the latest update to proceed smooth and fast as a new highway.

      Will Mango succeed? A new report from research firm NPD Group’s Connected Intelligence Service suggests that some 44 percent of smartphone owners are considering the purchase of a Windows Phone 7 device.

      That being said, the Service also suggested that Microsoft is facing significant issues in the brand-awareness department, with some 45 percent of consumers “still not aware of Windows Phone 7.” Consumers cited a lack of awareness about Windows Phone, or OS ecosystem lock-in, as prime reasons for not planning to purchase a device running the platform.

      Despite positive reviews for the Windows Phone platform, but research firms such as comScore have estimated Microsoft’s smartphone market share as gradually declining over the past few months. “We haven’t sold quite as many probably as I would have hoped we would have sold in the first year,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently told the audience during the company’s Financial Analyst Meeting. “I think with a little bit more effort, a little bit more energy, the level of enthusiasm from the customer base is high enough we’ve just got to kick this thing to the next level.”

      Follow Nicholas Kolakowski on Twitter

      Avatar
      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×