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Microsoft Handhelds Operating Systems Upgrades Windows

Microsoft Begins Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Rollout 127

Posted by samzenpus from the new-way-to-talk dept.
MojoKid writes "While the news of late has focused on Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 launch, Microsoft has some news of their own on the mobile OS front. Windows Phone 7.5 is the first major overhaul of the system since the smaller, incremental NoDo updates began to roll out a few months ago. Starting this week, WP7 users should begin to see the v7.5 update roll their way. Microsoft claims that this release has a 'people-first' attitude, with a focus on multitasking, more integrated apps, and better mobile Web browsing, along with personalized tools, like integrated social networking and conversation threads for connecting with the people."
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Microsoft Begins Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Rollout More

Microsoft Begins Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) Rollout

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  • Developer side-track: (Score:4, Interesting)

    by gcnaddict ( 841664 ) on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @01:38PM (#37543386)
    What would be nice would be if we (the developers) could develop WP7 applications which also have the capability to run on ARM-built Windows 8. That said, from my knowledge of the means by which Metro development is being guided, I don't see this as a possibility.

    I just feel that it would open Windows 8 on ARM to many established Windows Phone 7 applications (giving it a base to tap into, much like what the iPad had going for it), but given the differences between WP7 and Windows 8, this is just a pipe dream for me. Oh well.
    • Windows 8 is over a year away. Perhaps Windows Phone 8 will be out by then which will allow this kind of capability.

      • Windows 8 is over a year away. Perhaps Windows Phone 8 will be out by then which will allow this kind of capability.

        The way the MS marketing guys play with version numbers, it'll probably be Windows Phone XIV or something. The new version is marketed as 7.5 but reports itself as 7.1 internally.

      • I hear they are fast tracking it. If all goes well, 4/2012.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by bberens ( 965711 )
      Microsoft is taking the opposite approach of Apple. Apple puts the same OS on the phone and tablet but a different OS for the desktop/laptop. Microsoft has the tablet and desktop/laptop as the same OS and a different phone. We'll see which approach works out the best. Frankly, I'm interested in seeing how someone can approach the market differently to see what comes of it.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I am sorry but it is totally vice versa.

        Apple has single operating system what it use in every device.
        Microsoft has two operating systems what it sells.

        Now you are trying to click "reply" or mod as troll etc. But hear out facts.

        The operating system is not the software system what you talk about. The operating system is lowest level of the software stack. The operating system operates hardware and allocates its resources to other software. The top layers of the software stack are application programs and us

    • It doesn't take much to convert a WP7 app to WP8. Well, that is if you follow MVVM and your apps aren't a code behind spaghetti mess.

  • ATT is pushing already (Score:3, Informative)

    by StormRider01 ( 231428 ) on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @01:42PM (#37543450)

    I got the update today for my Samsung Focus, so far it looks like a solid upgrade.

  • Way to be a day late! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Michael O-P ( 31524 ) on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @01:44PM (#37543492) Journal
    As the only Slashdot visitor with a WP7 (now 7.5) phone, I figure I'll chime in.

    I installed 7.5 yesterday and I haven't had a ton of time to play around with it, what I've seen so far, I like. The multitasking is smooth, and the full integration of social media is handy. I'm not sure when I'd use the Facebook chat feature, but it works. They made some changes to the Metro UI, the best part is related to searching and scrolling.

    What really blows me away are the integrated search features. Rather than having to jump to a specialized application for a restaurant, I'm able to quickly find what I'm looking for, with reviews and other information, right from the search.

    The reason I chose a windows phone in the first place was because of the clean interface that presents everything I need to know at a glance. 7.5 improves upon that while making significant changes under the hood. This won't convince anyone to buy a windows phone (not sure what will), but I've been very happy with my experience.

    • BTW, for those not on the early roll-out list (AT&T is moving slowly), there's an easy way to force the update:

      http://www.wpcentral.com/force-mango-update-early-through-zune-software [wpcentral.com]

    • Make that one of two... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by HerculesMO ( 693085 ) on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @02:31PM (#37544320)

      I have a Dell Venue Pro (unlocked), and I'm extremely happy with it. This is after two years of an iPhone, and 6 months of an Android phone.

      Android felt like a basic copy of the iPhone in a lot of ways, and the battery life was so bad I couldn't keep using it. Windows Phone came out and I checked it out, seemed pretty good and different, and the battery goes on for two days with regular use. While I don't think I'll be convincing anybody here, I have to say that I've found this phone the best one so far, and with the cloud integration I find it extremely handy in a pinch.

      • As the third (and probably final) owner of a WP7 on /., I have been extremely satisfied with the OS. Having played with my coworker's androids and iSheep, I wasn't impressed with the usability of those OSs. I know there are a ton of anti-microsoft fan boys here. But, the little bit of usage of mango I have seen has been nice. Let us 3 people enjoy our phones in peace. They work for us.

      • I also have a Dell Venue Pro, but it ends up being used primarily as a PDA at various meetings at work. To become my primary phone, it would need a decent GTalk client (with push notifications!), and Skype.

        It's actually kinda annoying... it's touted as a phone with integrated IM - which is true, it does seamlessly integrate SMS / Live Messenger / Facebook Chat in a single view with threaded conversations across all three - but this seems to be hardcoded and not extensible with other services. And there's no

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by Aydsman ( 718016 )

          Oh, and what's up with wireless hotspot being disabled for existing phones, even though the OS can do it?

          Not every Windows Phone hardware contains a wireless chipset which supports acting as an access point, others may require a firmware update.

          The other reason is, of course, that your friendly telecommunications carrier wishes to give you the opportunity to pay them more money to have it enabled.

          • Every phone can do it - there's no such thing these days as a chipset that can't - but new drivers need to be made available in an OEM update and your carrier needs to prop a webservice allowing the phone to check up if you're provisioned for tethering (i.e. whether you have paid the appropriate tithes for using your laptop via your phone).

            Most WP7 phones if dropped into engineering mode allow you to use them as USB modems though.

    • Re:Way to be a day late! (Score:4, Informative)

      by Riceballsan ( 816702 ) on Wednesday September 28, 2011 @02:51PM (#37544660)
      Are people seriously modding this troll. I personally don't like the windows phone in what I've seen of it. I don't own one because quite frankly I have little use for it's prime features. That being said, having a different opinion from me and sharing it, is not trolling. Why the heck do those people have mod points seriously.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Locutus ( 9039 )
        it sounded like an ad to me and I was surprised it was mod'ed as 5:interesting and not troll.

        LoB

        • That would be because you can't possibly believe that anyone could like a Microsoft product over an Apple product. Seriously, people make personal choices and have individual opinions. Film at 11.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Locutus ( 9039 )
            yo Lemming, bull crap. This line, "the full integration of social media is handy" and this one too, "the clean interface that presents everything I need to know at a glance." just does not sound like what someone would write who's not in marketing. why are you Microserf's so twisted over Apple and think everything is about Apple?

            LoB
    • I would love to get a WP7.5 phone, but stupid Sprint doesn't have any good ones. My kingdom for a 1280x720 4.5" Windows 7.5 phone with NFC hardware.
    • So have I, but looks like I'll have to wait a while before the roll out works its way out to me :(

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by koko ( 66015 )

      It's not really multitasking, though, not if you mean the task switch method. IF you mean the background tasks, those are periodic, in the glacial-event realm: a couple of times and hour to run very limited jobs as a separate process from your real app, which is sleeping like a baby, with zero CPU available to it until it comes back to the foreground. The only real difference there, between what you have there now and what you had before, is the memory is still yours. Before, everything you owned was rel

      • Um, if your app needs it, it can actually go into the background and keep processing - TuneIn Radio is probably the best example of this. Start it, select a stream, it starts playing and you can go back to the home screen and start something else or whatever.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by koko ( 66015 )

          That is not the app in the background, but a background agent. It is limited in what it can do (not the app, since it is sleeping, but the agent itself). Audio is a special-case background agent that continues to run. But it's not the app that's running. It is a background agent. This is not your father's multitasking. It's your grandfather's. It's like Win16's, the great taskswitcher.

          • Ah, I see. I'll confess I've not had need to write any backgrounding stuff, so hadn't fully looked into it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by epp_b ( 944299 )
      Are you literally that woman on the airport walkway that Microsoft portrayed in their advertising for WP7?
      • Yes, literally. Except I'm not a woman, and I'm rarely in an airport. But I do wear the same clothes as she.

  • I will only be interested in Windows Phone once it is released on modern hardware. (dual core 1.2ghz+)
    Current and planned Windows Phone devices have pathetic hardware.

    • Current and planned Windows Phone devices have pathetic hardware.

      And yet they are performs generally better (scrolling, zooming, animations, loading times) compared to those "modern" phones.

  • A rolling mango gathers no moss.
  • From TFA: "The update will be gradually rolled out to existing Windows Phone owners".

    Is the update coming direct from Microsoft (like all desktop Windows updates do), or from the cell provider (ATT/Verizon/etc)? It would be nice if it came from Microsoft, to avoid the (days/months/years) of delay for the provider to supply it.
  • Scott Adams likes WP7 more than iOS and Android. http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/windows_phone_challenge/ [dilbert.com] I think slowly it will catch on and will certainly be the #3 player in the mobile space. Maybe #2 eventually. They also made the marketplace available on the web so you can push apps to your phone. In addition to skydrive storage, find my phone, etc... that has been there since launch. http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/marketplace [windowsphone.com]

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Locutus ( 9039 )
      read the article and it appears he had hardware problems with the Android phone he had and as he stated at the end of his post, he just wanted the phone to make calls, do email, and a tad of browsing without locking up. Sounds like he didn't pick his phone model very well and confuses Android with a phone(hardware).

      and since most think that one counter example is proof of something being incorrect, my Android phone has been making phone calls, getting and sending emails and even browsing the web for a long

  • Really? Mango? Is there some deeper meaning in that like "Apple is a fruit and they were successful so let's use a fruit name?" Or to someone does Mango sound fast and cool? Is there target market South America/Africa/SE Asia?

    • Apparently with Windows Phone -- Microsoft is trying to make all internal milestone builds end in an "O". Next is Tango followed by Apollo.

  • ...and the sweet sound of crickets as MS loses their hegemony to google.

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