The Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update is now officially available for download. Packed with fantastic new features and looking better than ever, we’ve taken an in-depth look at this great new smartphone OS to see just what it will be bringing to the forthcoming range of Nokia Windows Phone devices.
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update launches
Crammed with hundreds of new additions and tweaks to existing features, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango lets you work and play smarter and faster. Whether you want to take better pictures, share videos with friends, stay connected with smoother social network updates, or simply enjoy the best that your local area has to offer, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango has something for everyone and we can’t wait to see it in action on a Nokia Windows Phone smartphone.
Multitasking
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango now lets you switch between apps without having to close other apps first. Holding the Back button shows open apps as live thumbnails, which you can flick through to find the app you want. It looks great and is much easier to use than any other smartphone OS we’ve seen before.
Hands-free messaging
With Windows Phone 7.5 Mango you no longer have to use the onscreen keyboard to send messages to friends and family. With built-in speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology, all you have to do is dictate your message to your phone to send it and then you can sit back and have the phone read the new message back to you when you receive a reply.
Message threads
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango makes it easier to stay connected with your friends and family by bringing all your communication together into a single view. You can start a conversation on Facebook, then send the same person a text or even an IM message via Xbox LIVE or Windows Live Messenger and the whole conversation will be pulled together into one easy to read thread.
Groups
With so many ways to get updates from the people in our lives, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango makes it easier to view only the updates you want, by placing your contacts into groups. You could have one group for colleagues, one for family and another for friends, and then use them to view only the updates you want, or even message everyone in the group at the same time.
Bing Music
While music tagging is not a new concept, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango’s Bing Music is one of the first we’ve seen to be integrated directly into the OS. With just two clicks you can hold the phone close to where music is coming from and it will record a few seconds of the song and then tell you what you’re hearing and let you instantly get online to buy or stream it.
Internet Sharing
When you’ve got a range of mobile devices, such as laptops or tablets, with you but can’t find a decent internet connection, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango’s Internet Sharing lets you create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot to get connected. This feature is operator dependent, though, so you’ll need to check with your Telco to see if your tariff is supported.
Photo Tagging and Face Detection
Once you’ve taken a photo with your smartphone, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango lets you tap on a face in the photo and quickly nametag the person, all within the phone itself. And with Face Detection technology, your phone will also recognise faces on its own, making it even easier for you to tag your friends and family.
Video Sharing
Any time you record a new video with your phone, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango’s new Video Sharing feature lets you instantly upload the video to Facebook and Windows Live SkyDrive, or even email it directly to your contacts, making it easier than ever to share your favourite memories.
Local Scout
If you’re in a new area and looking for something fun to do, Local Scout brings you live updates on what’s going on straight to your Windows Phone 7.5 Mango phone. Using your phone’s GPS, you get a full list of bars, restaurants, shops and local sights within a 25-mile radius and Bing Maps can then guide you exactly where you want to go.
Battery Saver
To save you having to charge your phone ten times a day, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango helps you keep going for longer. Once activated, Battery Saver detects when your battery is getting low and automatically disables Wi-Fi, push email and apps running in the background to squeeze extra time out of your battery, letting you stay out and about for longer.
And these fantastic features are only a small slice of everything that the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update can bring to your phone. With Nokia’s Windows phones on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to treat yourself to a new smartphone and we can’t wait to see what Nokia has planned. What new features are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the Comments section below.