Microsoft's Eric Hautala in a follow-up promised a much faster upgrade track for Windows Phone 7.5 updates. The successful updates "look so good" that the company has immediately updated the number of devices that qualify from just 10 percent to 50 percent. The eligibility should take effect immediately.
Microsoft has updated its Where's my phone update page to reveal that most American Windows Phone devices are getting the 7.5, or Mango, update very soon. Along with AT&T's promises, every carrier-bound and unlocked phone outside of Sprint is "scheduling," or due to get the update in under 10 business days. Sprint is marked as "testing," although it's known to have already posted the HTC Arrive's update for manual upgrades.
Microsoft's next Windows Phone update, Tango, is focused regaining control of the low-end smartphone market, insiders gave away on Tuesday. The release is expected to be "all about Nokia" and would aim at cheaper devices than what Microsoft's partners can field today. One ZDNet informer expected Tango would center primarily on Asia, which has been underserved so far.
Microsoft is reportedly beginning to license its upcoming Windows Phone 7 update to handset manufacturers. The revamped software is said to be codenamed 'Tango," unnamed sources have told DigiTimes. If true, the company appears to be maintaining 'o' endings for the series of updates, which started with NoDo and moved to Mango.
US Cellular became the first regional US carrier to pick up Windows Phone 7 with the HTC 7 Pro. Its device is a more straightforward adaptation of the Arrive for Sprint and shares its CDMA networking along with the NoDo update to Windows Phone 7. Its version is also closer to stock, although it comes with Your Navigator Deluxe to bring turn-by-turn driving.
Color banding and resolution problems after users updated their HTC HD7 and Trophy handsets with the NoDo software are being blamed by Microsoft on HTC. A Microsoft tech on the company's forum said the phone maker didn't adhere to Microsoft's strict specifications for its mobile operating system with HTC giving the phones 32-bit color depth support rather than the mandated 16-bits. While the company allows multiple device makers, it has strict chassis guidelines to guarantee a consistent experience across devices.
Verizon's long-delayed version of the HTC Trophy could finally show this week. A rumor Monday has the Windows Phone 7 flagship shipping on May 5. The tip to WinRumors didn't give out a price or explain the reason for a delay past the April 15 date pegged in a recent, known accurate Verizon roadmap.
Microsoft has stopped shipping updates for Samsung Omnia 7 phones and its Windows Phone 7 OS. The temporary halt was confirmed by Microsoft consumer writer Michael Stroh in a posting in his blog. Stroh gave no specific time frame for when updates would again roll out.
Microsoft has updated its Windows Phone 7 update page and in doing so revealed that more devices will be getting the NoDo update within 10 business days. It will now finally arrive on AT&T's HTC Surround and over in Europe for several Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) phones. In Australia, Optus owners will get the update in the same time frame as well.
AT&T on Tuesday started pushing out its anticipated NoDo update for two of its three phones. Both the LG Quantum and the Samsung Focus both get the promised copy-and-paste text, faster app support, and improved Windows Phone Marketplace access. The update brings two surprises specific to AT&T users, who get support AT&T Address Book cloud syncing and WISPr to automatically connect to AT&T's Wi-Fi hotspots without a sign-in.
Microsoft updated Windows Phone 7 owners late on Friday to say that two of AT&T's devices were finally in step to get the NoDo update. Both the LG Quantum and the Samsung Focus are in "scheduling," or past the testing phase and due to get their patch within 10 business days. The third, the HTC Surround, is still in testing.
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore during the MIX11 day two keynote explained the reasons behind the problems in getting out the initial February update and the delays in getting updates out to phones on time. The phone bricking and other issues were triggered by gaps in code between testing phones and those shipping out to factories. In one case, Samsung phones had a firmware flag for use in the factory that, when triggered by the pre-NoDo update, rendered the phone unusable.
As suspected, Microsoft's first wave of NoDo updates to carrier-locked Windows Phone 7 devices has started reaching phones. Both of T-Mobile USA's phones, the Dell Venue Pro and the HTC HD7, are getting the update immediately. All WP7 hardware on Orange UK and 3 UK should also be getting the upgrade regardless of the make.
New hints have suggested Microsoft plans to push its NoDo update to carrier-locked phones on Tuesday, March 29. The company's first wave would include at least Orange UK and Canada's Telus as well as a handful of unnamed other carriers, WinRumors heard. A second wave would take place on April 5, which would bring in at least O2 and Vodafone.
The once-thought delayed HTC Trophy for Verizon may still be coming based on a leak reportedly pulled from Verizon's site. Microsoft staff are now being given a new promotion building on the old one. Those who bought a Trophy would receive at least a $100 credit per line, Phone Arena was shown; those who bought it before April 1 would have the entire price reimbursed by Microsoft.
Microsoft helped kick off CTIA in earnest by posting the long promised NoDo update to phones that don't already have it preloaded. Phones like the Samsung Focus can now copy and paste text either by tapping a word and then dragging handlebars or else a tap-and-hold to bring up a menu. Pasting text is simple and uses an icon on the text suggestion bar to paste in.
AT&T kicked off its presence at CTIA by bringing over two ports of existing but major smartphones. The Thrill 4G is its adaptation of the LG Optimus 3D and has its unique, glasses-free 4.3-inch 3D display as well as the high-speed, dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor. It still runs Android 2.2 and has dual five-megapixel cameras to capture 3D video in 720p as well as a front camera and the requisite HSPA+ support.
Sprint as promised began selling the HTC Arrive on Sunday. Its adaptation of the 7 Pro is the first Windows Phone 7 device to ship with the NoDo update intact and can copy and paste text. The phone comes preloaded with Netflix as well as Sprint's first-ever WP7 apps, including NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, Sprint Movies, and Sprint TV.
A Verizon memo has surfaced that may have narrowed down the nebulous release dates for the HTC Thunderbolt and Trophy. The update put the Thunderbolt on March 17, a date occasionally mentioned elsewhere, and the Windows Phone 7-based Trophy one week later, on March 24. Android Central's copy also had Verizon's three data-only 4G devices from CES, including Novatel's 551L modem, its 4510 MiFi and Samsung's Presto hotspot.
Microsoft Customer Experience Engineering GM Eric Hautala in an update on Thursday night gave some reasoning behind the decision to delay the WP7 NoDo update to late March. He had decided to spend "some extra time" verifying the update process in the wake of the flawed February update that pushed it back by the extra weeks. It shouldn't have an effect on the timeframe of the Mango update shown at Mobile World Congress last month, Hautala promised.
Microsoft France today said that the NoDo update for Windows Phone 7 was being narrowed down to the "second half of March." The company at Mobile World Congress had hinted at an early March date.
Microsoft is planning to show both its Mango update for Windows Phone 7 and the platform's long-term roadmap in May, according to clues on Wednesday. A UK Tech.Days event slated for May 25 only has a generic description so far, but it should include both more details of Mango beyond what was shown at Mobile World Congress last month as well as long term strategy. The info given to WinRumors didn't say what would be entailed beyond the mobile IE9, multitasking and Twitter integration with the People hub.
While owners of HTC's HD7 and Mozart devices still wait for a software update from Microsoft, unofficial builds have surfaced for both devices. The HD7 update and Mozart release, which were posted on the XDA-Developers forums, are both said to be based on the build number 7389, otherwise referred to as the NoDo update.
Microsoft's promised major Windows Phone 7 update, nicknamed Mango, might miss 2011 entirely and could damage Nokia in the process. Leaks from sources suggested that the update with multitasking, IE9 and other improvements wouldn't be finished until the end of the year. An actual launch before 2012 would be a "near impossibility," veteran Windows tech writer Paul Thurrott was told by his sources.
Microsoft's promises of a remedied Windows Phone 7 update may have been premature as early reports from users have shown widespread problems. Samsung Focus and Omnia 7 users are getting a failure late into the update with an 800705B4 error code. It isn't bricking phones as consistently as before, but some have reported needing to restore the phone and having to ignore the update.
The HTC Trophy for Verizon has been spotted again offering an anticipated dual-mode feature but might not ship for some time. A snapshot of the cellular settings has shown direct references to both CDMA and GSM phone networks as well as the presence of a SIM card slot. WPCentral's photos would make it the first CDMA/GSM combo device using Windows Phone 7 and would help Verizon customers stay linked outside of North America.
Microsoft late Wednesday said it had resumed sending out its frozen Samsung Windows Phone 7 update. The company said it had "pinpointed and fixed" the problem that had led the Focus and Omnia 7 to fail and in some cases brick when trying to get the patch.
Any doubt of plans for the HTC Trophy at Verizon were removed early Monday after a sighting of the phone itself. Along with the telltale logo, the Windows Phone 7 device has a professionally made red wallpaper consistent with Verizon's favorite coloring. The Engadget source claimed the only hardware difference was the use of red highlights on the back.
HTC's two main phones for Verizon in the winter may not ship until much later than expected. A coordinated leak to Electronista and other sites has claimed the Thunderbolt isn't scheduled until March 10. The timing would put the 4G Android phone about a month back from when it was originally expected and could represent another of multiple delays that put it on February 24, 28 and more recently March 3.
The first significant Windows Phone 7 update is now claimed to be now shipping with the Dell Venue Pro, at least in India, WPCentral reported on Monday. The so-called NoDo update will bring with it the long promised copy and paste function, among other changes, and newly purchased Venue Pros in India supposedly have the feature built-in. The tipster said it works exactly as advertised and the same as in the developer emulator.
Microsoft's first Windows Phone 7 update, NoDo, may not ship for roughly another month. Multiple contacts said Thursday that it had been intended for February 7 but faced a last-minute change that pushed it back to March 8. No reason was given to Neowin for the delay.
