Handset makers get Windows Phone update ‘Mango’
To be launched in September
Microsoft 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.
“This marks the point in the development process where we hand code to our handset and mobile operator partners to optimise Mango for their specific phone and network configurations,” Windows Phone corporate vice president Terry Myerson said in a blog post.
The move came as Microsoft Japan, mobile carrier KDDI and cellphone maker Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications un-veiled in Tokyo the IS12T, which according to Microsoft president Yasuyuki Higuchi will be the world’s first Mango handset.
The device which will also be Japan’s first to carry the Windows Phone operating system, will feature a 13.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, 32 gigabytes of flash storage and will be launched in September at the earliest.
Mr Higuchi admitted that Microsoft was playing catch up with its competitors.
“We cannot say that Microsoft is not lagging behind rivals,” he said.
“We will make all-out efforts to catch up. “On the back of abundant assets such as our technology and ties with partners, we hope to expand in the mobile business.”