It would appear that later on this year Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 will have a name change in line with their Mango update, which includes new enhancements.
Microsoft will be changing the name of next version of Windows Phone to either Windows Phone 7.5 or Mango, this according to the official Windows Phone website that Microsoft has recently updated, the site is an essential resource centre for developers working with Microsoft and would only confirm the expected release date of Mango as arriving “later in 2011”. We previously did an article on the Mango update coming in the fall, see here.
It has also been announced by Microsoft that they will be dropping the “7” version reference in the product’s title, thus means that the product will now be referred to as simply, ‘Windows Phone’. The introduction of Mango will include the following enhancements updated developer tools (which will be available in May), new capabilities for Marketplace and multitasking improvements.
According to an article by ItProPortal it is believed that the new features will enable Live agents to create “superior customer engagement” with real-time integration. There will also be access to the camera and Motion sensor library for the developers, which could pave the way for even more immersive augmented reality experiences.
Now we know that in the second half of the year Mango will come with IE9, and will power the second generation of Windows Phone handsets coming to the market. Currently, there are less than a dozen Windows Phone 7 handsets on the market; Dell Venue Pro, Samsung Omnia 7, LG Optimus 7 and HTC’s 7 Mozart, 7 Pro, 7 Trophy and HD7.