Microsoft recently announced details about its next Windows Phone update called ‘Tango’ at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
The new operating system is targeted at the low-end global smartphone market by lowering Microsoft’s minimum specification for Windows Phone and introduces some new features to existing devices. The update to Windows Phone 7.5 will be brought to all handsets in April.
Senior product manager Greg Sullivan confirmed that “This is Windows Phone 7.5. It’s a refresh.” New builds of the Windows Phone include new MMS features and several restrictions for devices with 256MB of RAM and runs on Qualcomm 7×27 processors for lower-cost phones.
Nokia and ZTE have announced the first two low-cost Windows Phones, the Nokia 610 and the ZTE Orbit, both expected to come out in the second quarter of the year overseas. The Nokia 610 is expected to land in SA in the third quarter of the year.
Microsoft is removing background agents with Windows Phone Tango if a device has 256MB of RAM which means that certain background tasks, with the exception of background audio, will not work as well as slower performance for apps that use a lot of memory. Microsoft believes that about 95 percent of its apps will function on 256MB of RAM, but are encouraging developers to test their applications just to be sure and is also undergoing testing for existing Marketplace apps.
Despite the removals on low-spec devices there’s some additions for Windows Phone and higher-end phones as well – MMS has been greatly improved and will now handle video and multiple images as well as a new voice notes feature to record one minute audio clips.
Several of Microsoft’s phone-making partners released new devices this week with new hardware including HTC’s Image Sense camera processor and Nokia’s PureView 41-megapixel camera. When asked about whether Windows Phone would support these innovations, Sullivan commented that Microsoft was working on the ability to support proprietary OEM hardware extensions beyond the basic application processor.
Source: The Verge, PC Mag
