Windows Phone Mango Update Set for September Release

Android and iOS may face some competition this fall, as Microsoft plans to release its latest smartphone OS, codenamed "Mango", to Windows 7 users starting September 1. 

Though Microsoft has not confirmed this exact date, multiple reports have. It is speculated that the September 1 launch date was chosen due to its closeness in time with the IFA, Europe’s largest Consumer Electronics Show which kicks off September 2.

A strategic plan by Microsoft, Mango will be installed in new handsets from companies like Samsung, Acer  and LG and debut at the Berlin-based show. Nokia is also expected to launch its Windows Phone 7 devices at Nokia World in October, giving Microsoft the giant splash it needs if the company wants to compete with Google's Android OS, which recently topped the list of operating systems for smartphones. 

More about Windows Phone Mango
The Washington-based company first announced Mango at MWC in Barcelona in February and unveiled details about the update in May, leaving consumers anxious for the system’s release. With web browsing and multi-tasking support getting the most improvements with Mango, Microsoft promised the platform will include a full version of Internet Explorer 9 and will use the exact same browser that runs on desktops.

More fully developed multi-tasking means apps will be moved to the background and freeze in place so users can switch easily between them. The company also claims Mango will provide users with 500 new features, including single thread messaging, integrated Bing search information and GPS support. 

The operating system update will come free to current WP7 users, though it is not OTA. The 7.1 version of the OS will come standard on all new and upcoming devices that Microsoft has planned, including those from ZTE and Fujitsu. Other handsets, such as the 1.5GHz-powered devices HTC secured for a fall release, will feature Mango. At least two of HTC’s new phones are expected to be the Ignite and the Prime, which will come equipped with displays sized between 3.8-inches and 4.7-inches.