Skip to main content

Microsoft outlines new features coming to Windows Phone 7 in 2011

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, keynoting the Mobile World Congress conference on February 14, announced a set of features that Microsoft is promising it will bring to Windows Phone 7 in 2011.

Ballmer also confirmed, as expected, that the first Windows Phone 7 update, codenamed “NoDo,” will be out in early March 2011.

Microsoft’s press release outlining today’s announcements did not specify how many Windows Phone 7 updates Microsoft plans to release this year. Nor did it use the codename “Mango,” which is the first major update for Windows Phone 7, expected to be available on WP7 devices this fall/holiday season. Ballmer did mention “a significant release” due later this year during his remarks, which, presumably, is a reference to Mango.
But Microsoft did announce that the following updates will be added to WP7 in calendar 2011:
  • Twitter integration directly into the People Hub
  • Support for Office documents in the cloud (Skydrive Docs), going beyond the current OneNote integration
  • Dramatically enhanced Web browser experience based on IE9  (IE Mobile 9)
  • A “new wave of multitasking applications” (i.e., third-party applications get multitasking support)
Ballmer (and the Microsoft press release from today) also made no mention of when Microsoft plans to make available to carriers CDMA support. I’ve gotten lots of questions about when Sprint and Verizon will be launching Windows Phone 7 devices. Some had expected the NoDo update to provide CDMA support, but there was no word today whether this will be the case. I’ve noted previously that I have heard CDMA WP7 phones may not be out until this summer.

Update: Microsoft execs say that CDMA support will be part of NoDo. The first Windows Phone 7 devices are coming from Verizon and Sprint should be out in the first half of calendar 2011, a spokesperson reconfirmed today.

Joe Belfiore, the Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone Program Management, emphasized during his demonstrations of an early version of “the significant update” of the Windows Phone 7 code that the IE 9 code on the phone includes the same core IE 9 code that runs on the PC. That means apps and sites designed for IE 9 will run automatically on WP7, he said.

Belfiore also showed off the ability for Windows Phones to integrate with Kinect, allowing phone users to participate in games using their avatars (support for which will be coming at some point down the road).

Microsoft execs declined to comment when I asked whether there will be any WP7 updates between NoDo and Mango. (Not a good sign, I’d say. I’m thinking that means no.) Based on today’s keynote, it sounds to me like anything that isn’t part of NoDo will have to wait until Mango

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony Ericsson MW600 Review

If you're someone who regularly finds themselves driving, or cycling, or skiing, or cooking, or cleaning, or doing anything - for that matter - which requires your hands and at least a portion of your concentration, then you'll know the value of a Bluetooth headset. But in the more energetic of the aforementioned pursuits, you'll find that a regular ol' one-eared headset won't do. They fall out. When you're halfway down a Colorado piste, or leaning over your stew, the last thing you want that little bit of expensive plastic to do is fall out. Enter Sony Ericsson's MW600 - a teeny-tiny device with a big clip that lets you turn any pair of headphones into a Bluetooth headset. But is it worth shelling out your hard-earned cash for? Do you really need the MW600 in your life? Look down at your little finger on your left hand. The MW600 is about the same size as that. It has a clip on the back that reaches two-thirds of the w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roqbot Is A Jukebox On Your iPhone

Something unusual happened last Friday night at Bar Basic here in San Francisco. When I walked in, the entire room was fixated on on a screen above the bar, which displayed what looked like a musical game but wasn’t karaoke. The game? Roqbot, a unique iPhone app that allows you to yes, pick the music playing at a bar. Like a combination Pandora and traditional jukebox, Roqbot allows you to control the tunes without getting up from where you’re sitting. The inspiration for Roqbot came when one of the co-founders got frustrated using the jukebox at a bowling alley — Every time he had to walk across the bowling alley he would miss his turn. Roqbot, which shares the space with jukebox networks TouchTunes and eCast, is the first startup that I’ve seen experimenting with bringing social music to real life businesses like bars and cafes. Up until now plenty of people have deployed this concept for private settings, but no one has touched public because of the many challenges involved. Co-foun...
Post a Comment
Read more

HTC Sensation- A Multimedia Super phone

HTC has officially come out with Sensation 4G available at T-Mobile stores across the nation. HTC Sensation is being touted as a never before entertainment phone. The HTC Sensation includes an immersive HTC Sense experience making it easy-to-use and a top entertainer. The unique design, combined with contoured glass edging, The HTC Sensation is indeed a multimedia super phone. Some of the most captivating features of HTC Sensation are instant camera capture, richer internet experience, active lockscreen and a lot more with immersive experience. It has Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual-core processor that debuts in the phone. The users of the phone feel it’s a thicker, heavier device, but the rounded-off corners and subtle curve to the edges of the display make it somehow organic. If the closest competitor Samsung feels like a small tablet, the Sensation 4G feels like a phone, even though the display is the same size and, most importantly, can fit more on-screen thanks to the higher resoluti...
Post a Comment
Read more