Windows Phone 7.5 update, AKA Mango, now being delivered
It has taken far longer than Microsoft expected (indeed, far longer than early adopters expected) but the Windows Phone update that was meant to bring WP up to competitive form against rivals Android and iOS is finally here. Earlier today Microsoft officially announced that Mango was being released to carriers and that users would soon be receiving the long-awaited update.
The good news is that almost everyone is in the queue to get the update. The bad news is that there are still a few people left out in the cold. In the United States it's just a handful of AT&T customers that are going to be left waiting a little while longer, depending on their phone. Elsewhere it's just some Samsung Omnia 7 users who will have to wait and, for some reason, Spain. Check the Where's My Phone Update? page for more info on that.
As for the rest of the Windows Phone owners, you should expect to be informed by your handset that there is an update waiting for you some time in the next couple of weeks. It could be sooner, but the WP team is doing a controlled distribution and keeping a close eye on things for the first week or two, to ensure that everything goes smoothly. This is probably an attempt to avoid any potential disasters and make sure that customers are kept happy and, while it's a novel idea, personally I agree with the strategy.
Jokes aside though, this is the moment that mobile industry observers and WP fans alike have been waiting for. How well this update is received (and how successfully it is distributed) will be a strong indicator of what the future holds for Microsoft and the fledgling Windows Phone platform.
As Windows Phone nears its first birthday a number of pivotal plot lines are coming together. Mango is being released, with features that will show that the OS and its Metro interface are not just esthetic flair and can compete toe to toe with Android or iOS. Soon Nokia phones will be released and the world will be given the right to cast their thumbs upwards or down, deciding the fate of a partnership that has already spent much time in the mobile arena, despite a lack of tangible evidence. And all the while research companies are coming out with statistics that cast doubt on the notion that Windows Phone is doomed to failure, stating that despite low adoption rates WP owners are among the most satisfied and optimistic of smartphone users.
It's an interesting time to be a Windows Phone user, that's for sure. So if you're one then prepare to receive your prize: Mango, now with more unanticipated features. Internet Sharing, Web Marketplace... click the link to learn more or watch the YouTube video above.
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