Microsoft® Reveals Windows Phone® 7.5 Business Features

The software giant unveiled specific business features for “Mango”, its next Windows Phone release believed to be named 7.5:

• Pinnable email folders: Pin a folder to the start screen for quick access. This could be an email folder for a specific project, from a specific group or person (like your boss), or an RSS feed you’ve set up in Outlook.
• Conversation view in email: Emails in your inbox are organized by conversation, bringing replies to a thread into a consolidated view so it’s faster and easier to stay on top of the conversation.
• Server search: Search your email server (e.g. Exchange Server) for older emails no longer stored on your phone, giving you ready access to all of your mail.
• Lync: Lync Mobile brings the Lync experience to Windows Phone customers by delivering Unified Communications capabilities, including instant messaging and the ability to see the presence of your co-workers. The Lync app will be a free download from Windows Phone Marketplace and will be enabled with support from your business organization.
• Security: Complex (alpha-numeric) password support
• Rights management: Information Rights Management Support for protecting e-mails and Office documents
• Wireless improvements: Support for access to hidden corporate Wi-Fi networks

“We’re also excited about the thriving ecosystem of developers writing apps for Windows Phone,” said Paul Bryan, Senior Director of Business Experience for the Windows Phone team. “This week, we expect to exceed 16,000 apps available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. With new capabilities for developers in Mango (e.g., HTML5 support, Targeted Distribution of apps) we expect an even larger number and wider range of apps for Windows Phone in the future.”


Microsoft is currently hard at work on “Mango”, its next major release of Windows Phone. Microsoft has promised to ship “Mango” later in the year. “Mango” is currently in the beta stages at Microsoft, built as 7.1 currently. The company revealed a number of new features in February that will ship as part of its Windows Phone Point release later this year. Nokia is also reportedly waiting for the next release of Windows Phone before it unveils its first Windows Phone device.

“Mango” currently contains multitasking, Internet Explorer 9 mobile and Twitter integration. Microsoft unveiled a number of key developer enhancements at its MIX11 conference last month. Developers will have access to the Motion Sensor library and the camera, enabling augmented reality experiences. Phone integration has also been greatly improved for developers wanting to do more with their apps. The Live Tiles functionality has been expanded to give developers more flexibility and engage with their customers better. Microsoft is also planning to expand on developer opportunities for Windows Phone. The company will expand its Marketplace to 35 countries soon.