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Topic: Mobility

500+ features coming to a Windows Phone 7 "Mango" tomorrow?

Summary: Here are close to 30 features that are confirmed and rumored to be part of the "Mango" update for the WP7. What could the other 470 be?

Gloria Sin

By Gloria Sin for The ToyBox |

The popularity of gadgets are rarely decided by the length of their spec sheet or for having the best design. But Microsoft clearly did not get that memo as CEO Steve Ballmer hinted the new "Mango" update for the Windows Phone 7 will have over 500 new features at the Japanese Microsoft Developer Conference today.

Live.side.net is keeping track of all the known and rumored features with corresponding screenshots of what we can look forward to in the "Mango" update, ahead of tomorrow's concurrent announcements in New York and London at 10 am Eastern.

I've already reported on some of the main Mango features announced at the Microsoft TechEd 2011 conference a couple of weeks ago: "pinnable" email folders, improved copy and paste function, server search for legacy emails, Lync Mobile, conversation view in Outlook, the ability to share documents in the cloud, as well as improved enterprise support in protecting the security of corporate documents and within Wi-Fi zones.

Other confirmed features include:

  • Third-party Multi-tasking
  • Twitter integration in People Hub
  • Office 365 and SkyDrive support in Office Hub
  • Internet Explorer 9 Mobile
  • Improved application discovery
  • Custom ringtones support
  • Over-the-air Podcasts Download
  • Better marketplace navigation
  • Bing Search "Extras"
  • Multiple Live Tiles per app
  • Revamped Games Hub
  • Expanded language support
  • Configurable background services
  • Microsoft Lync Mobile app
  • 1500+ New APIs (Motion Sensor, Gyro, Sockets, Database and more)
  • Private and Beta Marketplace and Parental Controls

Rumored features include:

  • Bing Vision and Bing Audio
  • Turn-by-turn Navigation
  • SMS Dictation
  • Built-in Messenger and Facebook Chat in Messaging and People Hub
  • Automatic Games Sync via Xbox LIVE
  • Group Messaging
  • Artist Art on Lock Screen
  • Smart DJ Mix support
  • Camera shutter sound toggle
  • Built-in Facebook check-in and video upload support
  • Visual Voicemail

It's hard to tell from a list whether any feature will be compelling enough to convince consumers to buy a WP7 over an Android or iOS device. After all, the feature doesn't tell the whole story, and the way it is integrated within the mobile experience is also an important factor in making users excited about a particular platform. I'm intrigued by what developers are able to do with the built-in motion sensor but not sure when I would need to dictate a SMS (hopefully this feature stays a rumor).
500 is a long list and I've listed less than 30 possibilities here, so tell me what feature would you like to hear about tomorrow!

Topics: Mobility, Telcos, Windows

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  • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

    Gloria, <br>Please, please don't fall into the category of fangirls. Please correct the title and your content, it is neither Win 7 Phone nor Windows 7 Phone, it is Windows Phone 7.
    Ram U
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

      @Rama.NET <br><br>MS have (inadvertently) made writing headlines and article titles somewhat difficult for authors because of their "complicated" name. It is not a simple word like iOS or Android. I don't have a problem with what GS wrote; it conveys the appropriate meaning. A statement such as "Windows Phone 7 phones " does not easily roll off the tongue. Anyway, if your really want to be correct, it should be 'phone (with an apostrophe) or even more correctly "telephone", but is that level of correctness really what is required in a title or headline? ;-)
      Restricted_access
      Reply Vote

      • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

        @ptorning

        You're right, the name needs to be even more complicated. They should rename it to something like:

        Windows Zune Phone 7 Phones;
        Windows Phone 7 Zune;
        Windows Live Phone 7 Zune Ultimate;
        Windows Mobile Phone 7 Zune;
        Windows Embedded Phone 7 Zune Series 7;

        Maybe others can come up with even more complicated names, but whatever you do, you need to make sure you attach a '7' to the end of it! :)
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

      • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

        @ptorning
        Microsoft just call it "Windows Phone" and it just happen to be version 7.
        illegaloperation
        Reply Vote

      • Really it's version 1.0

        @day2die:
        Windows Phone 7 is just a name. The platform's really on a 1.0 revision. Well, if you are more rigorous, this started with Windows Media Player and Media Center (0.5), then with Zune 1st gen (1.0), then Zune 2nd gen (1.1), then Zune 3rd gen (2.0), then Zune HD (3.0) and finally WP7 (4.0).

        The Seven was the lucky number for Windows 7, but the unlucky one for WP7.
        cosuna
        Reply Vote

    • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

      @Rama.NET
      Maybe Microsoft could have avoid all this mess by just calling this mobile O.S either Zune or Win.
      Then the smartphone based on this O.S could have been called Zune Phones or Win Phones.
      I sincerely do not understand why Microsoft is so obsessed by the using the terms "Windows" and "Microsoft" in the name of all their products.
      Sure Windows has always been a quite popular O.S but it is not a reason to use the terms "Windows" in the name of a O.S of a whole different category. Especially as mobile O.S need as many as cool factors as possible especially nowadays. The term "Windows Phone 7" is neither cool nor sexy and it is just too long.
      timiteh
      Reply Vote

    • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

      do you actually care what you call it whether Windows Phone 7 or Win 7 Phone. The matter of fact is that people knows what they are referring to and most important people are used to it. <a href="http://www.e2solutions.net/website_design_company_india.htm">website design company</a>
      raghavtt
      Reply Vote

  • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

    "The popularity of gadgets are rarely decided by the length of their spec sheet or for having the best design."<br><br>Really? What is it decided by then?<br><br>And for God's sake, get the name right. It's "Windows Phone 7".
    illegaloperation
    Reply Vote

    • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

      @day2die Why was the qwerty keyboard successful? Because nobody wanted to learn dvorak after they'd already learned how to type on qwerty. The Win 7 Phone will be successful not because of its features but because it is familiar to windows users (everyone who is not a mac fanboy or linux hipster).

      And only Windows 7 Phone fanboys would care about the transposition of 7 and phone. Get over yourselves.

      Everyone calls it W7P and WP7 interchangeably. Nobody is getting confused.
      awkward hug
      Reply Vote

      • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

        @awkward hug

        Until just now I've never seen anyone ever use the acronym "W7P." The platform is called "Windows Phone" and the Mango update means it is no longer version 7 anymore. Mango is either 7.1 or 7.5
        cool8man
        Reply Vote

      • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

        @awkward hug WP7 is nothing like WinMo and anyone moving to it expecting for familiarity has been disappointed by that.
        vel0city
        Reply Vote

    • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

      @day2die

      <i>Really? What is it decided by then?</i>

      It's whether they like it or not. The original iPhone is the obvious one. It had far fewer features than all of the entrenched smartphones that it swept out of the way.
      SlithyTove
      Reply Vote

      • Their experience

        @SlithyTove

        The feature set does nit determine the experience. It is a factor but not the only criteria for decision.

        And relax on the name; everyone knows what she means.
        dcristof
        Reply Vote

  • &quot;Popularity of Gadgets rarely decided by length of their specs...&quot;

    Thay may be the case, but every ABMer the first thing they do is rattle about what WP7 (or W7P or whatever) doesn't have
    Roque Mocan
    Reply Vote

    • And the list is long

      Several WP7 users must be very excited;-)
      Richard Flude
      Reply Vote

  • Updated!

    Thanks for pointing out my mistake, everyone. Post updated. My apologies for the confusion,
    Gloria
    Gloria Sin
    Reply Vote

  • Third-party Multi-tasking and IE9

    are the killer features for most people in my point of view. I use IE9 on my PC and it's fantastic. With Mango, Microsoft finally bring desktop web surfing experience to the phone.
    UseYourHead
    Reply Vote

  • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

    It is funny. A lot of these 500 features already exists on other phones but MS touting them as new.
    Now adding all this many features won't make the phone more complicated to use?
    What happened to the simplicity marketing campaign MS was pushing?
    mktpostal@...
    Reply Vote

  • Have Fun

    Have fun with your phone softies!! uhh my iphone 4 is soo jealous LOL
    Hasam1991
    Reply Vote

  • RE: 500 features coming to a Win 7

    I like the great number of features, hopefully the carriers don't kill them all.
    grayknight-22253692004129760887070084760051
    Reply Vote
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