Any moment now, a lot of new handsets running the newest version of Windows Phone are going to hit the market, one even this week in Japan. As my colleague Nick emailed me earlier today, with a simple statement that as a confirmed Windows Phone early adopter/ fanatic, raised my ire, and led me to think that people still don’t take the OS seriously, this is a general response.
I know most people could care less about the OS right now
Quote: Nick Gray
A statement as effective as a red cape to a bull, I’m a confirmed WP user and fan and being early to the OS (which was effectively a beta , but don’t tell anyone). A few weeks shy of it’s first release to the public, we are looking at the first major update for the OS rolling out to the masses. Nick and I both have kept up with news of HTC devices that may be coming with the update and have both taken note of the Mazaa, Omega and the Eternity. We expect these handsets to be previewed and announced at the September First event we have heard about. New devices are one part of the equation, and we expect HTC to produce the same quality in their second generation Windows Phones as they did with the first generation.
HTC had a full stable of Windows Phone devices on launch that were available in different markets around the world, with a range of form factors. While most users loved the hardware, the general consensus would have to be that the OS needed a lot of work. To most analysts, Microsoft shipped an OS that mirrored the iPhone OS at launch. Though it held a lot of promise, a lot of key features were missing. The biggest deal was that copy paste (a feature which was originally introduced to smartphones by Microsoft) was not included in the initial release, much like the iPhone. Microsoft worked through some major issues with the NoDo update which caused a few hardware related problems on Samsung phones. In general, most people have been able to get an update, even though it has been convoluted by carrier testing. Now that we are past the hump, have crested the hill and are cruising to the next update, we should probably look at what it adds to current hand sets and those expected to be released soon with the “Mango” update as native.
I’ve been trying to look at what’s new in the Mango release for a while, and something as simple as the new, improved xBox/ gaming hub is a leap forward. Part of the update is simply making the OS more enjoyable.
Go back to the original Promo though and you can see how slick this is.
There’s lot’s to talk about, as simple as social network integration
There’s a lot more coming native to Mango, Linked inboxes, viewing all your email accounts in one place. Fairly simple on a PC but new to WP. Putting all your incoming email in one place is cool and cuts down on steps you have to take to keep up with news. You can also keep work and personal email separate.
In fact you get a much more intuitive email interface as well. Email conversations collects all your emails in context
Search is taken to a whole new level with visual and voice search.
Search has become insightful and full of sight. Speech recognition, while a little behind (maybe due to localization issues, accent) is really improved. A lot of the OS has really firmed up, becoming much more usable and idiot proof.
That’s not everything that’s in the new OS, (OK, it’s not new, but the changes are certainly refreshing). Windows Phone may take a while to even be noticed, but it gains in usability the more it’s explored. A lot of the features are semi-hidden and it requires an inquisitive user to discover them. As far as we know, there is no real manual or instruction book to guide users though all the new features included in the Mango update. With HTC set to announce at least two new windows phones in London on September 1st, which of the features make you think twice about trying out the OS?
