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Windows Phone 7.1 ‘Mango’ – It’s Coming!
AshMan Says…
Following the successful launch of Windows Phone late last year it has started to make its impact within the market. Since that launch there have been a number of updates with the most notable being ‘NoDo’ which brought Copy & Paste to the platform. Just recently Microsoft released information for what will be known as Windows Phone 7.1 or more publically known as ‘Mango’.
Windows Phone 7 Mango Start Screen
Mango is the first major update for the platform and is bringing 500 new features and 1500 new API’s. When they mention 500 new features they aren’t just a few minor updates to features which are already there, they are 500 new additions to the platform.
Windows Phone 7 Mango Multitasking
Some of the additions are:
Multi-tasking: Users will be able to press and hold the Back button to see minimised thumbnails of all their running apps, a view that will look very familiar to webOS and Blackberry PlayBook users. Like Android, but unlike iOS, there won’t be any restrictions on what apps can do in the background.
Unified Email Inboxes: Attention has also been paid to email. It’s now possible to set up multiple unified inboxes, such as one for your personal Hotmail and Gmail accounts and another for your Exchange accounts, keeping professional and personal separate.
Conversation Threads: Long text message and email conversations are now threaded in a conversation view that will be familiar to iPhone and PalmOS users. Like some Android apps, Mango will thread together conversations even if some of it takes place on different services, such as SMS, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
App Jumplist Search: Finding apps among a massive list can be a problem if you’ve installed a lot of them, so Microsoft is adding a jump list and a search function to its app menu. The former takes you to all apps that start with a given letter, and the latter is a traditional text search, with the option to jump into the Marketplace.
Internet Explorer 9: Currently, WP7 phones are running a version of IE Mobile, known as IE Mobile 7, which that is a variant of IE 7 with some IE 8 functionality added. But Windows Phone 7s running Mango will be running a mobile version of IE 9, Microsoft’s latest, HTML5-compliant IE browser.
Windows Phone 7 Mango and IE9 with HTML5
To have an indepth look into all of the new features in the upcoming update preview the video below which shows how much Mango brings to Windows Phone 7.
Windows Phone 7 Series is here!
AshMan says…
At the Mobile World Congress Microsoft revealed the much anticipated latest release of Windows Phone/Mobile (whatever you want to call it). This particular version has been considered long over due by many users. Windows Phone 7 had also been delayed numerous times, and also the original version of WP7 was scrapped completely and a rework was created.
The new OS is a completely different approach to any other phone operating system including older versions of Windows Mobile. WP7 moves to a tile based menu/group of icons which can be customised by the user with contacts or applications.
From the various demo’s which have been uploaded to the internet shows WP7 to be a very responsive and pleasant experience. This is helped by the applications like the contacts application to be loaded like a panoramic image which the user creates gestures to move across the menu.
A big announcement for the OS was the integration of the Xbox Live service and the ability to have your avatar and gamerscore available on your device. At the event they also mentioned the ability to play online with users around the world on other WP7 devices, PC’s and Xbox 360′s, which means that it will be interesting how the experience will be for all users across the platforms.
Microsoft is also taking a stronger position on the hardware which its partners are producing, by creating a list of requirements which each device must have including for touch based devices a large capacitive screen, minimum 5 mega-pixel camera with LED flash and three dedicated hardware buttons (back, home and Bing search). This means a more consistent user experience across all devices available.
With all of this announced Windows Phone 7 Series is looking to be a very strong competitor in the mobile arena, and be sure to look out for more info at Mix2010 coming soon.
Halo: Reach Leaked Screen Shots
AshMan says…
Amazingly somehow supposed screenshots of the upcoming Halo: Reach game has been leaked onto the internet. These blurry screenshots appear to be showing off the arsenal which will be available in the Halo game as well as locations and currently unannounced features.
Apparently these screenshots have originated from Bungies own forum, but since reportedly have been taken down. It is still unknown if these screenshots are from the BETA which is set to be released to fans who preordered Halo 3: ODST, but from what we can see Microsoft and Bungie have another awesome Halo game.
The quality of the screens isn’t top notch but surely is good enough to wet the appetites of Halo fans across the globe. You can find below the reported screenshots.
Halo:Reach leaked screenshot
Xbox 360 250GB Modern Warfare 2 Bundle
AshMan says…
Infinity Ward yesterday hosted a multiplayer even for Modern Warfare 2 and during the event Larry “Major Nelson” came to the stage to reveal a special Modern Warfare 2 bundle called the “Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Console”. This bundle is great because the hardware spec of the console is different.
Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Console
- Xbox 360 Console – with military-themed case design
- 250GB Hard Drive
- Two Black Xbox 360 Controllers
- Xbox 360 Headset
- Standard Edition copy of Modern Warfare 2
It is estimated to retail for US$399/AU$599 and will be released on November 11; which just happens to be a day after Modern Warfare 2 is due for release.
Limited Edition Console for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The bundle is confirmed to be sold in Australia, Europe, the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and New Zealand.
To check more information check out here.
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