Microsofts Windows Phone 7 operating system is looking set to get its latest 7.5 ‘Mango’ OS update in the next few weeks which is a way off the original Summer/Autumn release that was previously anticipated.
Microsoft has just sent out invites for a Windows Phone event that is set for the morning of May 24, 2011. The press event is taking place in New York City and promises to provide an early look at the next major update to the Windows Phone 7 operating system.
The biggest features of the Mango update (which has been in developer testing for some time now) is the promise to fill many of the holes that were in the initial release of Windows Phone 7, including true multi-tasking for third party apps, and a better web browser (IE 9), but yesterday we reported that the Mango update will be bringing a whole host of Microsoft Bing related options including Bing Maps, Audio and Vision plus a new Tellme messaging service
Here’s a break down for you:
- Bing Maps is a turn-by-turn navigation service similar to Google maps and Google Navigation
- Bing Audio will act like a Shazam for recognising music (and will sell you Zune tracks)
- Bing Vision is a barcode scanner app that’ll read QR codes, barcodes and OCR (optical character recognition) plus potentially provide support for augmented reality apps
- Microsoft TellMe is a messaging feature which will also allow you to dictate text messages and the phone will transcribe your speech into a text
The update is likely to be available for all WP7 running handsets including the HTC 7 Mozart, HTC HD 7, HTC 7 Trophy, LG Optimus 7, Samsung Omnia 7 and the Dell Venue Pro.
Stay tuned to the Gadget Helpline on the 24th of May and we will bring you the full announcement when it comes.
Does the Mango 7.5 update make the Windows Phone 7 platform more appealing? Let us know on the comments below or our official @Gadget_Helpline Twitter account.