14 DAY TRIAL // All rumors regarding the release of Mango as a software update for the handsets that landed on shelves last year with the new Windows Phone platform on board should be put to rest, as Microsoft themselves have shed some light on the matter.
The company expects to be able to start the deployment of the new OS flavor in about a week or two, Eric Hautala, general manager, Customer Experience Engineering, Microsoft, notes in a blog post.
Apparently, the final touches are currently being applied to the update and to the updating process, and all should kick off in almost no time.
“For months, we and dozens of our partner companies have been laying the groundwork for the Windows Phone 7.5 update—and making solid progress,” Hautala states.
“As a result, we now expect to start rolling it out in the next week or two. At that time, we’ll also refresh the Where’s My Phone Update? table to reflect the worldwide rollout status.”
The update will be available for users via a desktop PC, and Microsoft already released updated flavors of Zune software for PCs and of the Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac to ensure that the process goes smoothly.
Both applications come with a series of improvements aimed specifically at the device update process, offering users increased control over their backups and speeding up the installation process.
At the same time, Eric Hautala notes that users should steer clear of any leaked or unofficial copies of the Windows Phone software.
Chances are that these copies of Mango will not come with all the necessary files that a specific device requires, and that this would end up creating more issues than those resolved. A similar situation emerged with the release of the latest software update for Windows Phone, namely NoDo.
“During the official Windows Phone 7.5 update process, every Windows Phone will also receive software from the handset manufacturer,” Hautala explains.
“This matched and paired firmware has been painstakingly tuned so your phone—and apps—work with all the new features of Windows Phone 7.5. Since your phone requires the proper firmware to function as designed, my advice is simple: steer clear of bootleg updates and homebrew tools.”
There you have it. In the next week or so, the new Windows Phone Mango operating system flavor should arrive on devices in the form of a software update, complementing the release of new devices running under the platform.