Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) currently offers support for 35 different languages, however Microsoft may be planning to add an additional 85 languages in the next Windows Phone Tango update. The new version of Windows Phone, codenamed Tango, is expected to better cater to emerging markets, which will help Microsoft and its Windows Phone partners expand the platform globally. WPSauce, the source of the rumor, said that Microsoft announced the added language support during an event in India where the company also noted that future Windows Phone updates will support C++. It remains unclear when the Redmond-based company plans to release Windows Phone Tango.

[Via Pocketnow]

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Microsoft is poised to issue its next Windows Phone update during the middle of next year, Engadget said Thursday, citing Nokia executive vice president Michael Halbherr. As we’ve heard in the past, the update is called “Apollo,” and Halbherr describes it as a “very different game” compared to the current Mango build. Reportedly, Apollo will introduce a new positioning framework for GPS and an integrated near-field communications (NFC) solution. Engadget said Apollo could be more “Nokia-fied,” although it would be out of character for Microsoft to leave Samsung, LG, HTC and its other Windows Phone partners out in the cold. It remains unclear if Microsoft will dub the new operating system “Windows Phone 8,” although it’s probable given Halbherr’s comments.

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Windows Phone 7.5 has officially landed, but unless you're among a fortunate few, Redmond's tropical getaway might seem like only a twinkle on the horizon. In a wild turn of events, we've now stumbled across (and confirmed) a method that promises instant Mango gratification, and if you're so inclined, we hope you'll find similar luck. Here's the gist: something very special happens when you run the update and then promptly disable your internet connection -- about one second seems to do the trick. We first checked for Mango and kept WiFi enabled; the Zune software dutifully reported that our phone was up-to-date. Then, we executed the process and disconnected the internet... and wouldn't you know it, the update presented itself. Now, we're happily frolicking through Microsoft's latest delights on our Focus. If you're willing to try your luck, you'll find a full list of instructions in the source. Here's one final tip: once it's reported that an update is available, be sure to restore that internet connection.

[Thanks, Rohit]

PSA: Force Windows Phone 7.5 Mango to update, right now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T will begin to push the official Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update to its existing Windows Phone devices next week. The HTC Surround, LG Quantum and Samsung Focus will receive the update beginning Tuesday, September 27th, while the HTC HD7S will be updated to Windows Phone 7.5 some time before the end of October according to an internal AT&T memo obtained by BGR. To update your device, you will simply need to plug your Windows Phone into your computer and launch Microsoft’s Zune software. Windows Phone 7.5 will offer users more than 500 new features.

Microsoft general manager Eric Hautala wrote a blog post on Microsoft’s official Windows Team Blog on Wednesday in which he confirmed the Windows Phone Mango update will begin rolling out to devices “in the next week or two.” Hautala said Microsoft has been making solid progress on the update and advised any Windows Phone users not to install unofficial or leaked copies of Mango. “During the official Windows Phone 7.5 update process, every Windows Phone will also receive software from the handset manufacturer,” Hautala explained. “This matched and paired firmware has been painstakingly tuned so your phone—and apps—work with all the new features of Windows Phone 7.5.” HTC recently unveiled the Titan and Radar, two of the first Windows Phone Mango devices, and we are expecting fresh phones from Samsung, LG and Nokia in the coming months, too.

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Microsoft’s new Windows Phone Mango update is expected to begin rolling out this fall, but there are already reports that the company is working on the next updates, codenamed “Tango” and “Apollo.” DigiTimes reported on Tuesday that Compal Communications, which manufacturers devices for Acer and Nokia, recently inked a Microsoft deal confirming that it will build devices for Mango as well as the next-generation Tango update. Microsoft hasn’t discussed Tango yet, so it’s unclear what will be included or how big of a jump it will be from the long awaited Mango release. Reportedly, Tango will then be phased out in favor of a new “Apollo” OS, which we first heard about late last year.

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Ballmer didn't get specific when he said the Windows Phone Mango update would bring 500 new features, but we'd bet our blue screens that a handful of those additions are wrapped up in IE9. In addition to the long awaited landscape mode address bar, IE9 for Windows Phone promises to bolster performance through GPU acceleration and an improved rendering experience. The browser update boasts a litany of support features: the aforementioned GPU-accelerated browsing, full-screen video through HTML5 (though not embedded, sorry!), GPS-based geolocation, ECMAScript 5, 2D CSS3, etc. We should know a whole heap of a lot more come tomorrow morning, so be sure to follow along during our liveblog right here.

IE9 code for Windows Phone 7 complete, adds landscape address bar originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 00:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks as though Microsoft has accidentally confirmed that its next major Windows Phone update, dubbed Mango, will bring the mobile operating system up to version number 7.5. The information comes courtesy of the Redmond company’s website, which prompts developers to “Preview the Next Windows Phone OS 7.5.” Mango is expected to launch in late-fall of this year and was originally thought to be Windows Phone 7.1. The update will bring with it true multitasking, Internet Explorer 9, and an integrated Twitter experience — among other things. Microsoft has yet to issue an official statement on how the operating system’s version number schema will progress.

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If you’re the owner of a Samsung Focus, HTC Surround, or LG Quantum, and are still feeling a little dejected by our last NoDo-update report, cheer up. It looks like the status of the first major Windows Phone update for AT&T users has been updated with a more specific time frame. Previously, the NoDo upgrade for the aforementioned trio of handsets was tagged listed as being in the “Testing” phase. Microsoft explains that in this stage, the code is “undergoing mobile operator network and quality tests” — a software update black hole, of sorts. Recently, Microsoft amended its official Windows Update page to let AT&T Windows Phone users know that the three handsets will likely exit testing in “early April 2011.” After the testing stage is complete, handsets move to the scheduling phase — which typically takes less than 10 business days — and after that, the update begins flowing to handsets. So cheer up AT&T Windows Phone users, your update is — fingers crossed — on the way.

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Via a recent blog post, Microsoft let it be known that its freshly released Internet Explorer 9 web browser has been downloaded more than 2.35 million times during its first 24 hours on the market. Released on Monday evening, the update brings hardware accelerated graphics, a new JavaScript engine, an updated user interface, and a host of other improvements. As a point of comparison, Mozilla’s FireFox 3 was downloaded more than 8 million times in its inaugural 24 hours back in June of 2008 — although it was trying to break into the Guinness Book of World Records. Regardless, it is quite the accomplishment, and something the folks from Redmond should be very proud of. If you haven’t been prompted by Windows Update yet, Internet Explorer 9 can be downloaded here.

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Eric Hautala -- the cog in the Microsoft machine responsible for Windows Phone 7's update mechanism -- has taken to the company's official Windows Phone blog today to deep-dive on some of the concerns, problems, and delays that have dogged the platform's updates so far. In brief, Hautala says that the glitches that hosed the small February update for a few customers has brought the company to pause and take the time to make sure everything's rock solid before proceeding with the so-called NoDo update -- which includes copy and paste, performance improvements, and CDMA support -- and had originally been scheduled for the early part of March. Now, they're looking at "the latter half of March," which lines up with what Microsoft France had reported yesterday. He goes on to say that the problems have zero effect on the timeline for awesome new features previewed at MWC last month, which would seem to allay fears that the Mango update had been pushed to 2012. Needless to say, Windows Phone's still got some catching up to do -- so that's good news.

Microsoft taking 'extra time' to make sure Windows Phone 7 copy and paste update is solid, targeting late March originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a post published on an official Microsoft France blog, the company indicates that its first major Windows Phone 7 update — “Nodo” — will become available in the next few weeks. Initially thought to be landing in early March, the blog post states that Windows Phone owners will have to wait slightly longer than expected. Specifically, the translated post reads, “We are delighted to share with you that this update will be available for the second half of March through your Zune software. A notification will be pushed on all [Windows Phone 7 devices], allowing you to perform the update in the best conditions.” Microsoft’s headquarters in the U.S. has not yet confirmed the timing of the Nodo update.

[Via All About Microsoft]

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It’s not the update you’ve been waiting for, rather it’s the update the will allow you to get the update you’ve been waiting for. Of course we’re talking about Windows Phone 7, and the small, quirky code bundle Microsoft has been attempting to rollout for the past two weeks. After halting the update to Samsung handsets back on February 23rd, the company resumed sending the software to users’ devices this week. And unfortunately, it looks like Windows Phone users with Samsung handsets are continuing to have issues — problems Microsoft admits via Twitter it is “aware of” and is “looking into.” The small package being pushed by Microsoft patches Windows Phone’s updater mechanism, preparing it for the more significant NoDo update that is set to bring copy and paste functionality, amongst other things, to WP7 later this month. Not the most impressive software rollout we’ve ever seen, but hopefully Microsoft and friends have this whole mess sorted out by the time NoDo is a gogo. 

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HTC also brought along a Sprint-branded Arrive to our San Francisco reader meetup, and while we're already familiar with this Windows Phone 7 slider from our time with the HTC 7 Pro it's still nice to see a CDMA WP7 device in the flesh. Oh, and the keyboard is pretty fantastic -- not only does it feel great, but the dedicated number row alone is reason for keyboard fans to give this thing a look. The best part? The demo unit was loaded up with the Windows Phone 7 copy and paste update, which is the first time we've seen it in the wild. The system worked well, but we noticed that you once you paste out of the clipboard your text is gone, so you can't multiple paste. It's a little odd -- we'll have a video up shortly.

Update: The video is up -- check it below!

Continue reading Sprint HTC Arrive with Windows Phone 7 copy and paste first hands-on! (video)

Sprint HTC Arrive with Windows Phone 7 copy and paste first hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next Windows Phone 7 update, code named Mango, will have IE Mobile 9, which contains HTML5 support. It'll be the first major update for WP7, but might not have Silverlight browser support after all. It's unclear if third-party multitasking and Twitter integration will make it. [ZDnet] More »

Get ready for it because the final release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) have just been handed off to Microsoft's OEM partners. What that means for you is that starting February 22nd you can download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center or via Windows Update. MSDN and TechNet subscribers will see the official updates a bit earlier on February 16th... about the same time they'll be released unofficially into the bitTorrent and usenet wilds.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 available for everyone on February 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft on Thursday published a new knowledge base article to its support site that suggests the first update to the Windows Phone 7 operating system may soon be released. The article details troubleshooting information in the event a software update does not install properly. The highly anticipated first software update for Windows Phone 7 is expected to introduce various new features including the ability to cut, copy and paste text. The update may also fix a bug recently identified by Microsoft that causes large amounts of superfluous data to be transmitted randomly over 3G. Earlier rumors suggested that Microsoft would release the update in January and with just over three days left in the month, this new knowledge base article rekindles hopes that we might see an update before February arrives on Tuesday.

[Via pocketnow.com, e's phoneblog]

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