The next version of Windows Phone has the sweet taste of “Mango”

Today in New York City, Microsoft unveiled the next version of the Windows Phone mobile platform, codenamed “Mango.”

“Seven months ago we started our mission to make smartphones smarter and easier for people to do more,” said Andy Lees, president of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. “With ‘Mango,’ Windows Phone takes a major step forward in redefining how people communicate and use apps and the Internet, giving you better results with less effort.”

Due out this fall, “Mango” will sport hundreds of new features designed to deliver a faster, richer, more personal experience for Windows Phone owners. In addition, “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. The Windows Phone Marketplace, which currently has more than 17,000 apps, will also be available in 35 countries starting this fall.

Some of the new “Mango” features 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.

Deeper social network integration. Twitter and LinkedIn feeds are now integrated into contact cards, and “Mango” includes built-in Facebook check-ins and new face detection software that makes it easier to quickly tag photos and post to the Web.

Internet Explorer 9. A browser based on the powerful Internet Explorer 9 and including support for HTML5 and full hardware acceleration. That’s a shot of IE9 to the left.

Local Scout. Provides hyperlocal search results and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy-to-use guide.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For a more comprehensive breakdown of new “Mango” features, check out this feature story, this press release and this video gallery, all available on the Microsoft News Center. The Windows Phone Blog also has the “Mango” story covered.

Posted by Jeff Meisner
Editor, The Official Microsoft Blog

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