NoDo is rocking on my HD7 and Dell Venue Pro

I was all excited for nothing when I saw there was a software update for my HD7. Mary Jo then said people were getting NoDo just after the pre-NoDo update so I kept refreshing my Zune Desktop software to try to get it to show up and understand it is rolling out now for T-Mobile HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro owners. I couldn't wait so I used the method described over at WPCentral to spoof the Zune Desktop software and now have NoDo on both of my Windows Phone 7 devices.

I read online that people thought Microsoft would roll the two updates into one, but that might have just been rumor and not technically possible. I didn't mind performing two updates, especially considering how smooth they went. I still want OTA updates like I get with Symbian and Android though and am not the biggest fan of connected updates like iOS. Then again, it ensures that you have power to your device and probably lessens the chances that an idiot will mess it up.

The NoDo update is a 10-step process with a couple of reboots happening along the way. The longest step is step 7 where your entire device is backed up. While this may try your patience, I can confirm that on both of my devices they came out of the update process exactly as I had them configured before so this backup is definitely worth waiting for. Kudos to Microsoft for a seamless update process that works.

The WP7 NoDo (No Donuts) update includes the following:

• Copy and Paste
• Faster apps and games (Quicker response when launching and resuming)
• Improved Marketplace search filters
• WiFi improvements (MAC address filtering and WiFi profiles)
• Outlook improvements (Exchange Server 2003 and email display names)
• Messaging improvements (MMS and PIN-locked SIM issues)
• Facebook/Camera/Audio improvements

While copy and paste is the most talked about update to WP7, I personally think the improved Marketplace filtering in searches will be used more by me. With this update you can now see only games and apps in your search results if you tap on Apps or Games and then tap the search button. Prior to this update a search would return apps, games, songs, albums, and artists so searching for an app or game was a pain when it was a common term with tens or hundreds of song results.

Unfortunately, AT&T customers are not yet getting the update so it is obvious that carriers do still have control over the update process and Microsoft doesn't seem to carry as much weight with them as what we have seen with Apple. I hope that all of you AT&T WP7 owners get the update soon. Maybe T-Mobile should have been the premier Windows Phone 7 launch partner.

What is your favorite new feature or improvement in NoDo?