In the announcement today, Brix says that they will begin accepting and certifying Mango apps through the App Hub that use Mango’s new fast app switching, background audio, multiple and double-sided Live Tiles and better Search integration. This means that these new Mango optimized apps could be published within a matter of days. But he quickly adds that it doesn’t mean the Mango update itself will arrive on existing devices in the coming days. Instead, developers with Mango builds will start seeing these new apps in the Marketplace. The current 30,000 Windows Phone apps and game titles will also be able to run on Mango.

Brix also adds that they have updated and enhanced the Windows Phone SDK 7.1 with a Release Candidate of the SDK available in English and Japanese and a “Go Live” license for publishing to the Windows Phone Marketplace. Game developers are also now encouraged to submit their games to the 19 new Mango markets, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan.

The Mango update is a major overhaul of the platform with more than 500 new features. For more details on what to expect with the update, make sure to check out our Windows Phone 7.1 Mango technical preview. The update is rumored for a September 1 launch, with new Mango devices from Samsung, HTC, LG, Acer, and ZTE potentially unveiled at the upcoming IFA 2011.

[via Windows Team Blog]

Last we heard, this Mango build was supposed to be being released on the 1st of September, this internal release therefor right on schedule. Back on July 26th, we knew this release (an earlier version, that is,) to have been released to manufacturing, while it was all the way back in June that we knew Windows Phone Mango to be sent out to developers. If you’d like to know more about Windows Phone Mango, hit up our official SlashGear 101: Windows Phone Mango post for all the details.

For a Window Phone user to be able to load this, again, non-officially released build, you’ll have to grab the post-NoDo update 7392 first. Learn all about that and the terrifying truth straight from the mouth of the leader in the post Microsoft: Unofficially updated Windows Phones won’t get our software. Users of Windows Phone Mango Beta may jump to this update without upgrading anything in-between. All of this is explained in the original instructions at XDA if you do so dare to do so. This software update has been confirmed on the following devices: HTC HD7, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, Samsung Focus, HTC Arrive, Dell Venue Pro and the LG Optimus 7 – each of which we’ve either got hands-on time with or full reviews of – check em out!

[via XDA Developers]

In an interview with Venture Beat, Nokia US exec, Chris Weber, expressed that he felt the focus on apps as the central metaphor when it comes to iOS and Android is “outdated.” This is a bit odd coming from a company that yesterday confirmed shutting down its outdated feature phone and Symbian smartphone businesses in the US. But of course, Weber is speaking in the context of promoting Windows Phone Mango. He emphasizes that Window’s cloud and syncing features are way more advanced than either of the two rivals and that Android has the worst email client.

But the bashing aside, Weber reveals some of the ways that Nokia devices with Windows Phone Mango will best both iOS and Android. Nokia will get an interface overhaul with Mango live tiles and hubs where apps are integrated into everything you do. For instance, when you select a contact from your address book, you can communicate with them through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, without having to open those apps separately.

With Mango, Nokia devices will also be able to use voice commands without having to ever touch the phone. Weber demonstrated this with VentureBeat by answering and replying to a text message completely by using voice commands.

Despite these neat features highlighted, they still don’t seem game-changing enough to really bring Nokia back in the lead. It’s also not clear yet how Nokia will differentiate itself from other Mango handset manufacturers other than through superior hardware build. But even then, its first batch of devices will be produced by contract manufacturer Compal.

Nokia’s upcoming Mango handset is expected to be an N9 look-alike codenamed the Sea Ray, although a video has leaked showing possibly some other Nokia Mango handsets. Additionally, rumors of a Windows Phone Tango update geared towards Nokia and lower-priced handsets suggest that more affordable Nokia Mango handsets may make an appearance in 2012.

[via VentureBeat]

It also has exactly the same Bluetooth profile as Mango does, lending further weight to the argument. The GSII comparison comes from the distinct similarity between the two handset’s model numbers: SGH-i937 for the new Windows Phone, and SGH-i927 for the Galaxy S II.

Given the recently announced sales success of the GSII – 3m devices in 55 days – it would be little surprise if Samsung decided to repurpose some of the hardware design and specification for a version with a Microsoft flavor. What remains to be seen is how, exactly, those specifications will evolve to suit Windows Phone: for a start, Microsoft has mandated Qualcomm processors, meaning Samsung couldn’t use its own Exynios chip (or NVIDIA’s Tegra 2) as in the GSII.

That still leaves the Super AMOLED Plus display, excellent 8-megapixel camera and slimline build – the GSII is a mere 8.49mm thick – to be carried over, and given the original Samsung Focus was one of our favorites from the initial Windows Phone line-up, that would be no bad thing.

[via Engadget and via WMPowerUser]

That CPU is said to be Qualcomm’s MSM8255, the speedier variant of the chip already found inside the HTC Sensation. Bizarrely, HTC is said to have paired it with a mere 512MB of RAM – along with 16GB of internal storage – which would be more than a little underwhelming. Other specs include HSPA+ with download speeds of 14.4Mbps and upload speeds of 5.76Mbps, network depending, along with WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and AGPS/GPS.

An FM radio, DLNA support, G-sensor, digital compass and dual microphones round things out, all in a handset said to measure 130.6 x 70.63 x 9.9mm and weigh under 170g. We’ve had out ruler and crayons out, and that would certainly be enough to accommodate a 3.7-inch panel, albeit making for a quite a handful of a device. Still, that hasn’t dissuaded HTC before, the Desire HD being a good case in point (though the Eternity would be larger still).

Mango is tipped to bring with it front-facing camera support, among other things, though it was absent from the build we used for our technical preview. This could all be fake, but with Microsoft saying it has no plans to use Windows Phone on tablet hardware, an oversized pseudo-MID would be a welcome halfway house of sorts.

[via the::unwired]

“This build of Mango should also be viewed as beta quality,” Microsoft warns, “so there are still consumer features missing.” However, it should still be enough for prepping apps and ensuring compatibility, though the tools update including the all important go-live license needed to actually publish Mango apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace won’t arrive for another few months year.

The countries which will be specifically supported for the early-access program include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. Retail handsets will be supported, rather than demanding a developer device, and Microsoft is also offering fifty Mango phones for student developers with good ideas for potential Windows Phone apps.

For more on Windows Phone 7.1 Mango, check out our technical preview from last week.

Industry insider with a track record of breaking Nokia and Microsoft news, Eldar Murtazin, has tweeted that Microsoft may have changed its hardware design requirements across the board. With the new Windows Phone Mango update comes a new design guideline that no longer requires hardware buttons on the front of Windows Phone devices. Murtazin says that Samsung, LG, and HTC will all follow suit with phones no longer sporting the once requisite buttons.

We recently had a Technical Preview of the Windows Phone Mango update, which touts over 500 new features and is set to launch sometime this fall. The promising update along with the exciting new hardware that Nokia has in the works plus the less restrictive design requirements and deeper integration with the Xbox LIVE ecosystem, could make 2012 a great year for the platform.

[via WMPU]

However, the first thing you’ll notice is a revamped Games Hub interface in Mango. The new look is cleaner and lighter, continuing on the Metro UI, so that the focus is on your game collection and Xbox LIVE info without any other distraction. The speed and performance of the UI have also been tweaked and enhanced.

There’s an improved Collection view with large icons on the left and names listed on the right. A new Recent category will now show the last three titles you’ve played when your entire collection exceeds 20 games, which can happen pretty quickly. This makes it easier to navigate to your favorite games when your collection gets too large. New 3D avatars have also been introduced and now they have more attitude. The avatars yawn, wave and do various other actions like dancing when you shake your phone.

Best of all may be the integration of Xbox LIVE Extras app features. Those include Xbox LIVE messaging, friends, and achievement comparison views. You can also edit your profile now directly from your phone. Spotlight content and game request notifications have also been improved.

[via Windows Team Blog]

During the MIX presentation, Microsoft used a speed reading test to show that Windows Phone Mango outperformed iOS and Android with a score of 26 frames per second (FPS). Apple’s iOS at the time, scored a sad 2 FPS, while Android lagged behind just slightly with 23 FPS. The new iOS 5 beta, however, is clocking in at 31 FPS, which is a huge performance increase.

Given that there are still a few months before Windows Phone 7.1 Mango is set to release this fall, Microsoft can still do some tweaking to make sure it gets back in the lead, speed-wise at least. We just took an extensive look at the Windows Phone 7.1 Mango technical preview and it looks like a promising update with loads of new features. That along with the fabulous hardware from Nokia, as we know Nokia can deliver from its most recent N9, should give Microsoft a much needed reboot for its Windows Phone platform.

[via WinRumors]

Back in April, Microsoft began offering an app mapping tool for iOS developers and now they’re doing the same to court Android developers. The mapping tool makes it easier for developers to port their Android apps to the Windows Phone platform. However, much like the iOS version, this mapping tool does not automatically port over code. Instead, it offers an extensive list of API mappings that works like a dictionary for translating bits of code.

Also, not all APIs are mappable at the moment because the two platforms have such different architectures and interfaces. However, Microsoft is providing plenty of guides and references as well as an area where they will aggregate support information and discussions from different locations throughout the web. This feature they’re calling the “App Guy” who is “just one guy” crawling the web and they insist that anyone can join in to help.

[via Microsoft Team Blog]

Part of that pace, Elop says, is about encouraging Nokia staff to look outside the company’s own portfolio. In his first big speech to employees on joining Nokia, he asked how many were using Android or iPhone handsets and, when only a minority admitted they were, told them “that upsets me—not because some of you are using iPhones, but because only a small number of people are using iPhones. I’d rather people have the intellectual curiosity to understand what we’re up against.” In meetings, remaining thoughtfully quiet is no longer an option; “I’ve heard my colleagues speak more in the last four months than in the last 10 years” reckons Mary McDowell, head of Nokia’s low-end device division.

At its current pace, Nokia was on track to introduce only three MeeGo-driven models before 2014—far too slow to keep the company in the game. Elop tried to call Oistämö, but his phone battery was dead. “He must have been trying an Android phone that day,” says Elop. When they finally spoke late on Jan. 4, “It was truly an oh-s–t moment—and really, really painful to realize where we were,” says Oistämö. Months later, Oistämö still struggles to hold back tears. “MeeGo had been the collective hope of the company,” he says, “and we’d come to the conclusion that the emperor had no clothes. It’s not a nice thing.”

The Nokia spirit of innovation – some of which was being channeled into MeeGo, some sitting on engineers’ desks frozen out by the politicized environment within Nokia – has been harnessed for the “New Disruptions” skunkworks. Based around teams in Helsinki and Silicon Valley that are staffed with ex-Symbian and MeeGo talent, the project began in 2009 when Nokia engaged a group of open source evangelists to come up with entirely new devices. As Elop puts it, their goal is to “find that next big thing that blows away Apple, Android, and everything we’re doing with Microsoft right now and makes it irrelevant—all of it. So go for it, without having to worry about saving Nokia’s rear end in the next 12 months. I’ve taken off the handcuffs.”

As for rumors of a $19bn Microsoft buy-out of Nokia’s phone business, Elop is dismissive. ”The way to think about this is that Nokia’s business extends way beyond the smartphone business that is the basis of our relationship,” he claims, and that “acquisition was never a topic of conversation” between himself and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The draw toward Android, meanwhile, was soured when Google refused to allow the concessions around control that Microsoft would permit Nokia over Windows Phone.

That’s the lowest they’ve been in around 13 years, in fact, which certainly suggests that investors weren’t convinced by CEO Stephen Elop’s comments that “we have increased confidence that we will ship our first Nokia product with Windows Phone in the fourth quarter 2011.” Whether that’s a short-term stance, with shareholders jumping ship in the expectation that Nokia’s price will fall much further before those WP7.1 devices arrive, or a longer-term pessimism about Microsoft’s smartphone platform altogether, remains to be seen.

During the analyst call following the announcement, Elop blamed the rise of Android, management issues amid increasing challenges from HTC in China, and the ever-present Apple iPhone threat as the primary issues affecting the company’s profits. Operating margin for Q2 is now expected to merely breakeven rather than come in at anywhere up to 9-percent, as previously estimated, with Nokia’s current range treading water until the Windows Phone cavalry turns up.

Meanwhile, operating margin for the second quarter is now envisaged as slipping from the 6- to 9-percent estimates to “around breakeven”. The slump has led the Finnish number crunchers to conclude “it is no longer appropriate to provide annual targets for 2011″ while CEO Stephen Elop has said “Strategy transitions are difficult. We recognize the need to deliver great mobile products, and therefore we must accelerate the pace of our transition.”

Nokia is still confident that, once the first Windows Phone devices – which should take place in Q4 2011, using the new 7.1 Mango build – hit shelves, its market share will grow far more rapidly. Operating margin at that point should be 10-percent or more, the company promises.

Still, Q4 is looking a long way off right now, and for the moment there’s only more painful cuts to come as Nokia targets a €1bn slash in expenses by 2013.

Press Release:

Nokia lowers Devices & Services second quarter 2011 outlook and updates full year 2011 outlook

Stock exchange release
May 31, 2011 at 15:00 (CET +1)

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today commented on factors impacting its business and updated its second quarter and full year 2011 outlook for Devices & Services. During the second quarter 2011, multiple factors are negatively impacting Nokia’s Devices & Services business to a greater extent than previously expected. These factors include:
- the competitive dynamics and market trends across multiple price categories, particularly in China and Europe;
- a product mix shift towards devices with lower average selling prices and lower gross margins; and
- pricing tactics by Nokia and certain competitors.
Updated outlook for Devices & Services for the second quarter 2011:
- Nokia now expects Devices & Services net sales to be substantially below its previously expected range of EUR 6.1 billion to EUR 6.6 billion for the second quarter 2011. This update is primarily due to lower than previously expected average selling prices and mobile device volumes.
- Nokia now expects Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be substantially below its previously expected range of 6% to 9% for the second quarter 2011. This update is primarily due to lower than previously expected net sales. While visibility is very limited, Nokia’s current view is that second quarter 2011 Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin could be around breakeven.
Updated outlook for Devices & Services for the full year 2011:
- Given the unexpected change in our outlook for the second quarter, Nokia believes it is no longer appropriate to provide annual targets for 2011. However, Nokia expects to continue to provide short-term quarterly forecasts in its interim reports as well as annual targets when circumstances allow it to do so.
- Nokia’s previous targets for the third quarter, fourth quarter, and full year 2011 were: 1) Net sales in Devices & Services to be at approximately the same level in the third quarter 2011 as in the second quarter 2011, and seasonally higher in the fourth quarter 2011, compared to the third quarter 2011; 2) Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be between 6% and 9% in 2011. These targets are no longer valid.
Nokia is taking immediate action to address the issues that are impacting its Devices & Services business. Nokia’s high-level strategic objectives and targets remain unchanged.
- Nokia is continuing to invest to bring new innovative capabilities to its Symbian line up. In addition, Nokia has taken price actions on its current smartphone portfolio, and Nokia is intensifying its focus on retail point-of-sales marketing.
- Nokia started shipping its new dual-SIM devices last week.
- Nokia remains pleased with its progress on its Windows Phone strategy, and has increased confidence that the first Nokia product with Windows Phone will ship in the fourth quarter 2011.
- Nokia remains committed to its target to reduce its Devices & Services non-IFRS operating expenses by EUR 1 billion for the full year 2013, compared to the full year 2010, and plans to implement these reductions as quickly and effectively as possible.
- After the transition, Nokia continues to target Devices & Services net sales to grow faster than the market and Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be 10% or more.
“Strategy transitions are difficult. We recognize the need to deliver great mobile products, and therefore we must accelerate the pace of our transition,” said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia. “Our teams are aligned, and we have increased confidence that we will ship our first Nokia product with Windows Phone in the fourth quarter 2011.”
Nokia will provide its second quarter results and more details when it reports its Q2 2011 results on July 21, 2011.
Nokia will be hosting a conference call at 13:30 UK time (8:30 EST). The dial-in number for media (listen only – the question and answer session will be limited to financial analysts and investors only) is +1 706 634 5012. Conference ID: 72156605.
The dial-in number for financial analysts and investors is US: +1 888 636 1561. Conference ID: 72156605. UK: +44 1452 560 299. Conference ID: 72175614.
A replay of the call will be available soon after the call completion. The replay number is US: +1 800 642 1687. Conference ID: 72156605. UK: +44 1452 55 0000. Conference ID: 72175614.

The filing protects the mark in three major categories that include:

“Retail store services featuring software provided via the internet and other computer and electronic communication networks; Retail store services featuring software for use on computers, mobile phones, tablets, and mobile devices; Retail services featuring game software for use on computers, mobile phones, tablets, and mobile devices.”

It’s hard to tell if HTC is planning a full-on app store or only focusing on a specific niche of apps such as video games, as the name would suggest. HTC is a major manufacturer for both Android and Windows Phone, and now with the new WP7.1 Mango update, this new marketplace could certainly accommodate future WP7.1 apps as well.

[via Android Community]

That would suggest that the Trophy-alike in the video is, in fact, the Mazaa; outwardly pretty much identical, but packing a far improved camera inside. The Trophy launched with a 5-megapixel unit, but according to the camera app in Mango the Mazaa boost that to 12-megapixels and throws in RAW support.

As for Mango itself, that gets a tentative thumbs-up though is still deemed to lag behind what other platforms like Android and iOS offer. Multitasking is one of the most welcome changes over WP7 as it stands currently, though the new IE9 also scores some kudos.

Update: Looks like we wished too soon. Murtazin says the Mazaa doesn’t support 12-megapixels, and that the Windows Phone device he’s talking about is a different one.

Google Wallet:
Google Wallet and Google Offers NFC Projects Announced by Google
Google Wallet and Google Offers Partner with Citibank, Mastercard, First Data, and Sprint
Google Wallet Demoed on Nexus S
Google Wallet “Single Tap” Demoed on Point-of-Sale System
Google Wallet Objects to be the Backbone of the New NFC System, Partners Comment [Video]
Google Wallet on Android: iOS and Windows Phone Must Be Next
Google Wallet Will Work Even Without NFC-Enabled Phone Thanks To Special Stickers
PayPal sues Google over stolen Wallet secrets

Microsoft:
Microsoft’s $150m Android windfall dwarfs Windows Phone revenues
SlashGear 101 : Windows Phone 7.1 Mango
Windows Phone “Mango” official; Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE onboard
Windows Phone 7.1 Mango multitasking explained [Video]
Qualcomm “exclusive” Windows Phone 7.1 Mango chip supplier
Windows Phone Mango Visual Search hands-on [Video]
Windows Phone Mango Music Search Hands-On [Video]
Windows Phone Marketplace Web Portal Preview
Nokia: Our first Windows Phone will run Mango
Nokia To Release A Windows Phone Every Two Months?

Apple:
iOS 5 To Revamp Notifications And Introduce Widgets
Apple wins early access to Samsung phones/tablets in copycat case
Samsung Legal Department Demands to See iPhone 5 and iPad 3
Apple May Announce Back-To-School Deal At WWDC, Including $200 Off iPads
Apple To Nuke Mac Defender Malware With OS X Update
Apple MacBooks Top All Notebook Categories On Consumer Reports [Updated]
iPhone 4S/5 to have curved glass fascia?
Apple iCloud could be MobileMe bundle, mirror even pirated tracks

Amazon:
Lady Gaga 99-Cent Album On Amazon
Lady Gaga “Born This Way” $0.99 again as Amazon takes second shot
Amazon Launches Mac Download Store, Targeting Apple Mac App Store
Amazon’s 7- and 10-inch tablets $349 and $449 this holiday?

ASUS:
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer To Get Android 3.1 Honeycomb OTA Next Week
ASUS ‘Padfone’ Trademark Applied For Upcoming Tablet/Phone Combo
ASUS tablet tease tips new slate for Computex 2011
ASUS docking tablet/phone combo and 3D slate tipped for Computex

Other news:
AT&T 4G LTE plans revealed: Five markets this summer
Sony Music Greece latest to suffer security hack: User data in the wild
Sony Music Japan Latest To Get Hacked
Sony Ericsson’s Canadian eShop latest hack victim: 2,000 user records stolen
PlayStation Store Not Relaunching Today
Barnes & Noble NOOK: Smaller, touchscreen & $139 tag
T-Mobile G2x Pulled Due to Quality Issues?
T-Mobile G2x Disappearance Explained, Firmware Updates Expected
T-Mobile G2x Price To Increase Tomorrow?
T-Mobile G2x Internal Issues And Resolutions Document Leaked
HTC Unlocking Bootloaders Across the Board [OFFICIAL]

Unboxings & Hands-ons:
LG Revolution Unboxing and hands-on
HTC Trophy Hands-On and Unboxing
Dell XPS 15z official: Hands-on

Reviews:
Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Review – To Play or Not to Play?
HTC Sensation Review
HTC Flyer WiFi Review

According to recent statements from Nokia’s Senior VP of Marketing for Mobile Jo Harlow, the company wants to get in a “rhythm” to crank out a new Windows Phone every two to three months. “We’re going to keep coming with new devices in order to have something to talk about,” said Harlow to PCMag.

Although the first Windows Phones came out in October of last year, there has not been a huge variety of Windows Phones devices as most phone makers such as HTC and Samsung view it as a secondary platform, with Android being number one. Sales numbers and general customer satisfaction have also not motivated phone makers to push the envelope in Windows Phones. However, Nokia is hoping to turn that around as it will make the Windows Phone its primary platform.

As for when the first Nokia Windows Phone 7.1 will arrive, is still up in the air and likely to be early 2012. Nokia is still supporting its Symbian platform until at least 2016. And other developments in MeeGo continue as well.

[via Business Insider]

In order for Google to become successful in changing the entire business ecosystem in the United States and abroad, they will certainly have to think about getting manufacturers to work with the other mobile platforms they produce phones with in order to attain a wide enough audience. This system of using cell-phones and other handsets for payment on a day-to-day basis has been a long time coming – the most basic difference between NFC and the system we use right now is the amount of metal and plastic we’re using to carry around out account numbers. Of course there’s a lot more going on with Google Wallet, but as soon as Google, Citi, Mastercard, and First Data get the population to agree to that idea, they’re sold.

But when will Apple and Microsoft get on board? Will they get on board? Are they late to the party, or is NFC payment via mobile device a bad idea?

How it will be done at the beginning

Google Wallet will be represented by an app that users can download on their Android phone at the outset. It will connect to Google Offers, a system where people can access coupons and discounts from their web browser, (be it on their desktop, laptop, mobile device, wherever,) that they can transfer to their Google Wallet account, that “Offer” then instantly showing up wherever the user has the Google Wallet app open. They can then use that offer at the corresponding store.

When a person gets to a store and wants to pay for the product or service they desire or require, they simply touch their mobile device to the payment panel that the store has installed. This panel, in whatever form it takes, reads instantly everything you’ve got that corresponds to the store or particular product or service. This could be a coupon, it could be a rewards card, it could be anything.

Inside your Google Wallet you’ll have at least one card, that being your Google Card – aka GCard, which will act as a sort of re-chargeable payment system that you can add money to and take money out of via the NFC system. In addition to this, you’ll be able to add one or more credit cards, each of them then sitting in your wallet available for you to use or de-activate at any time.

There will also be Google Wallet Objects which will include your credit cards but will also include coupons, customer rewards cards, “puzzle pieces,” and other special scannable items.

How it will be done in the future

Like all apps in the future, the concept of an “app” will have changed from platform-based to cloud-based, meaning that if you’re able to access the internet, you’re able to access the app. A good example of where this change has already happened is in Google Maps. Very recently Google Maps changed from where if you were using a mobile device and navigated to Google Maps in your web browser, you’d be re-directed to a download point where you were able to grab the app, which was separate from the web browser. Now they’ve re-worked their mobile functionality, allowing anyone with access to a web browser to utilize Google Maps from the web. Simple, and now universal, very simply.

Before this though, Google will rally to have the Google Wallet app available on other platforms such as Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 (soon to be Windows Phone 7.1 Mango.) They will not risk this ecosystem to fail simply because people are unwilling to use an Android phone. Once we figure out the technology to get this system working via web browser (or some sort of other method that allows every device to have Google Wallet, regardless of platform,) Google will move forward with it.

All this is assuming that Google can grab enough momentum here at the beginning to keep the ball rolling on into the future. If they can, we’ll be Japan in no time.

This process reveals the ability to find song title, artist, album title, and more just by having the new function work its magic. For those of you using Android or iOS phones, you already know about this ability via a couple of rather popular apps by the names of SoundHound and Shazzam. These two apps work either on Android or iOS and do essentially the same thing as is about to be demonstrated to you by Microsoft below in the video.

So what’s the difference? This ability is native to Windows Phone 7.1 Mango. The difference that Microsoft is trying to push here and has been trying to push since Windows Phone 7′s inception is that this is a phone to get your tasks done as fast as possible so that you don’t have to spend your whole day on your phone. You remember / still see the commercials now, each of them saying basically really?! to people using their phones 24/7.

But with an update like this, doesn’t it make it more likely that you’d use your phone for more, rather than less? It’s a conundrum to be sure. Check out the rest of the info in an easy-to grasp article by the name of SlashGear 101: Windows Phone 7.1 Mango. Furthermore you can check out Nokia saying that their first Windows Phone units will run 7.1 Mango and you can see a Visual Search hands-on video courtesy of our man in action as well – preview:

In the demo, Microsoft shows how a Mango device can recognize a barcode on the back of a book and instantly pull in reviews and other information. That data can be passed over to an app running on the phone, for instance taking you to Amazon to buy the physical copy of a book or a CD, or to the Kindle app to buy the ebook.

Microsoft may have been late to the market with Windows Phone, but the company is obviously looking to catch up on some of the third-party software shortfall by integrating common functionality directly into the platform itself rather than waiting for other developers to deliver it. In a similar way, WP7.1 Mango will also include Twitter and LinkedIn integration.

“Qualcomm has a long history of working closely with Microsoft and we continue to support the launches of new Windows Phones based on our Snapdragon processors.  We are excited about this next Windows Phone Mango release that will leverage the synergy of our highly integrated second generation Snapdragon solution and Microsoft’s Windows Phone software,” said Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president and group president of Qualcomm” Steve Mollenkopf, executive vice president and group president of Qualcomm

The news means that rumors of an ST-Ericsson assault on the Windows Phone handset market looks unlikely, leaving comments from the company’s CEO that the chips would be found in some Nokia Windows Phone devices looking unclear. Nokia has confirmed that its first Windows Phones will run Mango but made no indication as to what processors it would be slotting inside; “rather than simply create one high-end device,” the company stated, “Nokia plans to develop and release a portfolio of products that address as many of our audiences and markets as possible.”

That implies a range of low- to high-price SoCs to suit. Until now, Microsoft’s strict minimum standards had left all the first-gen Windows Phone handsets broadly the same under the hood, though with talk of looser reins second time around we’re expecting Qualcomm to push its newer dual-core chips such as in the HTC Sensation.

Mango is Windows Phone’s next step, Microsoft noting that they’d be working with a smarter approach to apps, a web experience that “goes beyond the browser,” and communication features that make it easier to connect to your contacts. The first item they’ve added is Internet Explorer 9 built directly into each of the newest devices. In the video you’re about to see below, they show off the speed of the internet browser on several phones competitors – something manufacturers are generally not so apt to do. A BlackBerry, an Android, an iPhone, and a brand new Mango phone are included.

Guess which one wins?

Check out this quick and easy breakdown of the key features, see the excellent videos below as provided by Microsoft, then head to the press release for any additional bits you may want to nitpick!

Bing Features

Next they work with “Local Scout,” Bing-powered feature that finds local businesses for you based on your actual physical location. Eat and drink, see and do, and shop help you to understand your surroundings. Favorites collect which items you like the best, and highlights are picked for you. This is closely related to the next big feature that makes your experience less about typing and more about working with your interests outside of the phone: Bing Vision. What this feature does is take, for example, a book- photographing the book, recognizing the book from the cover, and linking to everything that could possibly go with the book like prices, e-versions of the book, and locations you can purchase the book in real life.

A Smarter Approach to Apps

Inside the games hub, multitasking is shown off. Built-in multitasking, as they say, will allow you to play a game and switch back and forth between other games and apps by simply holding down the “back” button. A list is shown for you, easily available for you to be flipping back and forth at will. Another bit of this is the new ability to “pin” apps to your homescreen. This ability not only allows you to have a shortcut to the app, but a shortcut, for example, to a specific product in an app such as Best Buy whose app is made to work with this new feature.

Communications Features

Inside email, you’ll notice a whole new look compared to the older vision you’re used to. This new system allows you to see emails back and forth as a conversation – instead of having a giant list of emails to and from a single contact, they’re all collected in strings automatically. A new feature having to do with this is the ability to create Groups. This shows off not just when they’re emailing you, but when they’ve updated their Facebook, Twitter, and etcetera. This is like having a “best of” friends app. Threads is a new feature that ties together text, Facebook chat, Windows Live Messenger via PC or Xbox. Everything tied together.

We’ve got a whole lot more on Mango from the origin event of this Windows Phone 7.1 Mango update announcement so stay tuned to SlashGear for full coverage!

REDMOND, Wash. – May 24, 2011 – Microsoft today provided the first official look at the next release of Windows Phone, code named “Mango.” The new release includes hundreds of new features that will deliver smarter and easier communications, apps and Internet experiences.

See some of the features users can expect to see in the next major release of Windows Phone, code-named “Mango.”

“When we looked ahead to the next release, we wanted to stay true to the principles of Windows Phone 7 – that software should get out of your way and quickly connect you to the things that matter most,” said Greg Sullivan, senior product manager of mobile communications at Microsoft. “Mango builds on the work that we did in Windows Phone 7 and extends a lot of key scenarios around communications, apps, and Internet experiences – with even more capability and a deeper level of integration.”

Mango will enable Windows Phone to expand into new markets and extend global reach and scale through support for a host of new languages and new partnerships with Acer, Fujitsu Limited and ZTE Corp. Microsoft said Mango will be available for free to all eligible Windows Phone customers when it’s available in the fall.

Extending the App Experience

Sullivan said a key competitive differentiator for Mango lies in its smarter approach to apps. Today, he said, smartphones require that users rely solely on their brains to connect the dots between applications on their phones and any given scenario. Mango, however, relieves the burden on customers by assuming some of the burden itself. For example, the App Connect feature connects apps to search results and deepens their integration with Windows Phone Hubs – surfacing apps when and where they make sense.

For instance, if a user searches Bing for a movie, the search results, as you’d expect, provide information such as show times and theater locations. App Connect will take this further by anticipating the user’s need to buy a ticket and automatically surfaces the Fandango app to give him or her the option to buy a ticket right there.

“It’s like having a great butler or a valet that you’ve known for 30 years who can anticipate your every need instead you doing all the work yourself,” Sullivan said. “Windows Phone stitches all of this together for you and connects the applications you have on your phone, or that we have in the marketplace, to the rest of what you’re doing, in a way that’s much, much deeper than any other platform. So you can go from Binging to buying in seconds.”

A Smarter Smartphone

The predictive nature of Mango signals a more intelligent era for the smartphone. This intelligence doesn’t simply benefit end users who need the right app in the right situation. Mango’s improved functionality also benefits companies and app developers looking for a unique way to reach consumers and on the “buy” end of the “Bing to Buy” scenario Sullivan noted.

“We’re really excited to be taking advantage the next release of Windows Phone and the new developer tools,” said Howard Gefen, director of marketing and business development for mobile at Amazon. “We can continue to incorporate features that our customers will enjoy and use, and continue to get the best experience out of the device and the platform.”

Other app features in Mango include:

• Improved Live Tiles, which provides even more real-time information to the home screen. Live Tiles on Mango can be more dynamic and contain more information.
• Multitasking allows users to quickly switch between recently used applications and pick up where they left off by simply pressing and holding the back button.
• Live Agents, which enables developers to create a number of multitasking apps for scenarios involving media, communications, augmented reality and more – all without compromising battery life and performance.

“Our Friends Are People – They’re Not Apps”

For those who have seen the phone, you can see the light bulb go off. It’s like they suddenly realize they should be expecting more from their smartphones.
- Greg Sullivan, senior product manager of mobile communications at Microsoft

Microsoft said its next release of Windows Phone – available to consumers in early fall – was designed and organized around the person or group of people users want to communicate with rather than the various apps used to reach them.

Just like Windows Phone 7 was designed and organized to make communication easier, so too is its Mango update, Sullivan said. For example, Mango’s new People Hub will integrate all of the ways in which people interact. So, whether one is connected to a person on Facebook, Twitter, Outlook, LinkedIn, Windows Live Messenger or all of the above, these avenues to connectivity will be in one, easy-to-access location.

Additionally, if a user wants to send a message to someone, Mango will automatically detect if that person is online to the user can select the best method of communication. If the intended recipient is signed into Windows Live, Mango will provide the option to send an instant message (IM). If not, a text is sent instead.

The next release of Windows Phone also allows users to group and categorize people based on how they fit into their lives. This enables users to send group texts or IM conversations to entire groups of family, friends, coworkers and so on.

“Our friends are people – they’re not apps,” Sullivan said. “Mango makes it super easy to put people first then lets users chose the way they want to communicate.”

Other communications features in Mango include:

• Personalized Live Tiles make it possible for users to easily access individuals or groups from the home screen. Individuals can be pinned to the start screen as Live Tiles, providing users with at-a-glance access to real-time updates from social network feeds and notifications without having to open multiple apps.
• Multiple email accounts can be combined and linked into one inbox.
• Built-in voice-to-text/text-to-voice functionality, which will allow for hands-free texting or chatting.
Smarter Internet

In Mango, Microsoft has added hardware-accelerated graphics and Internet Explorer 9 with HTML5. This, the company says, will enable a faster mobile Web experience that mirrors the desktop.

Unlike competing platforms, Sullivan said Web content in Mango doesn’t return as a list of blue links the user must comb through. Rather, content is integrated, aggregated and presented in a more useful way.

“We take the Web beyond the browser,” Sullivan said. “So you’re not manually spelunking through websites to find what you’re looking for.”

Web browsing now also has an added layer that allows users to take advantage of functionality such as location awareness, the phone’s camera and its microphone.

• Local Scout prioritizes hyper-local search results based on user preferences and recommends the closest restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy-to-use guide.
• Visual search enables users to initiate a Bing search by photographing barcodes, QR codes and Microsoft Tags (without using a third-party app).
• Music search allows users to search Bing and get detailed information about music (like song title, artist and album title) by simply holding the phone up to a speaker.

The addition of augmented reality in Mango – a technology that integrates computer-generated images and sounds on a user’s screen to enhance their experience – is an excellent example of a better Internet experience. It has allowed some of Microsoft’s partners to make significant improvements to their apps.

For instance, by utilizing Mango’s new motion and camera API, developers at The History Channel were able to build History Here – an app that combines augmented reality, GPS, and The History Channel’s multimedia content to create an interactive mobile travel guide. By simply pointing the phone at ones surroundings, the app will display an overlay of historic points of interest close by.

“The new real-time augmented reality view brings historical content to life in a whole new way,” said Dan Suratt, executive vice president of digital media and business development at A+E Networks Digital (which owns The History Channel, Lifetime, Biography and other properties). “People can experience history in an exciting way, whether they’ve just stepped outside their home or travelled across the country.”

“For those who have seen the phone, you can see the light bulb go off,” Sullivan said. “It’s like they suddenly realize they should be expecting more from their smartphones. I think we’re set up to surprise a lot of folks with how big a leap we’ve taken with Mango.”

That could be a sign that the company is pulling back its investment in Windows Phone and instead looking to focus on Android instead. There’s still only one WP handset in the Dell line-up, whereas in the same period it has released several pieces of Android phone/tablet hardware.

Windows Phone also doesn’t fit into Dell’s software strategy, with the company’s plans for the Dell Stage interface – including automatic PC/phone sync – not working with Microsoft’s locked-down attitude toward its platform. We’ll have to wait and see what Dell and Microsoft confirm – if anything – but we’re guessing this could be a case of three in, one out.

The functionality mimics what Android already offers at market.android.com, and makes finding new software and sharing it both with your own device and with those friends who also use Windows Phone devices more straightforward. According to Microsoft, there are now over 18,000 apps available, and that number is expected to increase dramatically as Nokia developers turn their attention to the platform.

The beta Mango developer tools are available today. With Mango’s arrival, the Windows Phone Marketplace will expand to 35 countries (from 16 today), including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Japan, Korea (South), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden and Taiwan. Plus, app submission in China, Israel and Luxembourg is now supported.

We’ll have to wait until we see the multitasking APIs to know for sure how Microsoft is handling the combination of switching and freezing. We’re expecting an Apple-like system where certain key APIs allow apps to stay minimally active, while otherwise their state is frozen into the phone’s flash storage.

You can see the multitasking demonstrated in the video below; jump ahead to around the 5:11 mark to see Joe Belfiore, corporate VP in Windows Phone, demonstrate switching between Fruit Ninja and other apps. We’ll have more demos later on today.

Greg Sullivan explains multitasking in Windows Phone Mango