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Microsoft has made the latest version of its mobile phone software available to handset partners as it seeks to claw back market share from Apple and Google.
The Redmond, Washington-based personal computer software powerhouse said the update to its Windows Phone operating system, code-named Mango, features over 500 new features and faster browsing with Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).
"This marks the point in the development process where we hand code to our handset and mobile operator partners to optimize Mango for their specific phone and network configurations," Windows Phone corporate vice president Terry Myerson said in a blog post.
Microsoft unveiled Mango in May, promising it will be available by year's end for free to existing Windows Phone 7 customers and will ship on new phones from Samsung, LG and HTC and new partners Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE.
Microsoft said it is also working on a Mango handset in its labs with new partner Nokia, the Finnish mobile phone titan which announced in February it would begin using Microsoft's platform as its smartphone operating system.
When Mango-powered phones hit stores they'll likely be facing competition from a new iPhone from Apple and the latest versions of handsets running Google's Android software.
According to Gartner, Android will power nearly half of the smartphones worldwide by the end of next year with a 49.2% market share.
The market share for the iPhone's was forecast to remain relatively stable at 18.9% in 2012.
Windows will account for 5.6% of the smartphone market at the end of 2011 but will rise to 10.8% in 2012, according to Gartner.
© 2011 Agence France-Presse
6 Comments
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nath
I had a Windows 6.5 phone for a while. I have an Android phone now. Microsoft missed its chance with me and, I'm sure, many others.
Zenny11
Over 500 new features = Winbloat.
Let me guess debugging and better security like always are not included there.
ritzjpn
Tooo Late Microsoft .Please wake up and catch up.Its 2011. where are windows 7 phone anyway.
"Microsoft unveiled Mango in May, promising it will be available by year’s end for free to existing Windows Phone 7 customer" The word FREE i dont get it . If they are thinking of charging for updates they are seriously mistaken about it.
paulinusa
"Windows will account for 5.6% of the smartphone market at the end of 2011 but will rise to 10.8% in 2012, according to Gartner."
They only have a 3-3.5% share now , so reaching these market share numbers will be difficult.
WilliB
Left one, please. And keep the phone.
gogogo
They called it Mango? How can you be taken seriously as an original product when you name your software update in the same manner as your main competition. I think they should have just called it the banana phone.