Microsoft today announced the official launch of Windows Phone 7.5, also known as "Mango," which brings dozens of new features to Microsoft's mobile phone OS. In my full review of Mango, I find it to be a terrific OS, great-looking and with people-centric features that no other mobile OS can quite match.
Mango will come on several new phones announced by AT&T and the new HTC Radar 4G from T-Mobile, as well as arriving as a free update for existing devices.
Microsoft has confirmed that Mango will roll out to all existing Windows phones, but it's up to the carriers to decide when. Microsoft also posted an official update schedule today showing all U.S. carriers except Sprint in a "scheduling" phase, which Microsoft says is the final 10 days before delivering the update. We surveyed the five U.S. carriers with Windows Phones to get the details.
AT&T has four Windows Phones, the most of any U.S. carrier. Here's what the carrier had to say about updates: "AT&T is very excited to be among the first carriers [to] share the latest Windows Phone 7.5 update with our customers in the coming weeks … Customers with qualifying Windows Phones (HTC HD7S, HTC Surround, LG Quantum and Samsung Focus) will receive notices when the update is ready for download. Since the update will occur in stages, customers will receive the notices on a rolling schedule with different phones being updated at different times."
Sprint's one Windows Phone, the HTC Arrive, will start getting Mango updates today, Sprint spokesman Mark Elliott said. However, the updates will roll out slowly and it will take several weeks for all Arrive owners to receive Mango. Arrive owners will be notified on their phones, but will need to plug the phone into a Mac or PC to update it, Elliott said.
T-Mobile says the HTC HD7 will receive Mango "over the next few weeks."
We've contacted U.S. Cellular and we'll fill this in when we hear back from them.
Verizon said its Mango update for the HTC Trophy was starting to roll out today, but it'll take some time for all owners to receive the update. They'll get an alert on their phones when it's ready.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Windows Phone probably won't get the promotion it deserves, though, because of a grave mistake on Microsoft's part: the OS doesn't support WiMAX or LTE.
Sprint and Verizon are both looking for great phones to push them away from the GSM pack, and Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has spoken fondly of Windows Phone. But the two carriers just won't aggressively promote devices that don't support their 4G networks. You can see the difference in Verizon's enthusiastic approach to marketing the Droid Bionic as opposed to its low-key pitch for the 4G-free Motorola Droid 3.
I asked Microsoft why it doesn't support 4G networks, and it didn't have a good answer. I'm baffled. All the major carriers are moving to 4G, even on midrange devices like Verizon's new Pantech Breakout.
Microsoft has a great weapon in Windows Phone, but it insists on shooting itself in the foot. While it looks like Windows Phones for AT&T and T-Mobile will be terrific devices on those carriers' HSPA+ 21 networks, I can't understand why Microsoft isn't more aggresively pursuing the 140 million people who subscribe to Verizon and Sprint.