How Many New Windows Phone 7 Mango Features Are We Up To?
Eighty-nine down, a whole lot more to go! When Steve Ballmer brought up the claim that Windows Phone 7 Mango would be bringing in excess of five hundred new features to the operating system, it seemed more like hyperbole than anything. But once we started watching Microsoft's presentation at Tuesday's New York City event, it became hard to deny: there is a LOT of new stuff coming to Mango. Now, we've talked about some of the more impressive changes that are in store, and lamented about some that won't make the cut, but when it comes down to it, we've just scraped the tip of the iceberg.
The obsessive minds over at anythingbutiphone have been taking meticulous notes about what Microsoft has revealed about Mango, not just at this most recent event, but in all the teasers leading up to it. All told, they arrived at eighty-nine features with a chance of making it in. The majority of those have been directly confirmed by Microsoft, but there are a few that, while either likely or highly-anticipated, are just rumors at this point. All at once like this, it makes for quite the impressive list.
There are sixty-three Mango features that Microsoft has announced, and an additional twenty that were once just rumors, only to later have Microsoft confirm them.
1. SkyDrive support (including shared folders)
2. Internet Explorer 9
3. HTML5
4. Hardware acceleration
5. Multitasking
6. Task-switcher
7. Twitter integration
8. Xbox LIVE Avatar accessories
9. Kinect integration
10. Skype
11. Application jump list
12. Application search
13. Redesigned Marketplace
14. Improved Marketplace search results
15. Streamlined app installation
16. Over-the-air podcasts
17. Silverlight + XNA
18. Improved panorama and pivot controls
19. TCP/IP sockets
20. SQL CE database
21. Live Agents
22. Deep Links
23. Multiple live tiles per app
24. Gyro
25. Motion Sensor
26. Instant-resume for apps
27. Power management
28. Parental controls (including M-rated titles)
29. Custom ringtones
30. Background audio
31. File download service
32. Alarm notifications
33. Redesigned Games hub
34. Silverlight 4
35. Beta/private publishing on the Marketplace
36. Pinnable email folders
37. Email conversation view
38. Server search
39. Lync
40. Complex (alpha-numeric) passwords
41. Information Rights Management
42. Hidden Wi-Fi networks
43. App Connect (formerly Search Extras)
44. Quick Cards
45. Local Scout
46. Indoor maps
47. Photo translation
48. Image search
49. Improved virtual keyboard
50. Contact communication history
51. LinkedIn integration
52. Notifications
53. Calendar integration with Facebook Events
54. Facial recognition
55. Updated mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote
56. Single track repeat
57. Improved drop-down media controls
58. Playback controls on the lock screen
59. Favorite places
60. Web Marketplace
61. Multiple file formats on SkyDrive, including PDF
62. Instant access to Bing under device lock
63. Emoticons
1. Location check-ins
2. Photosynth (possibly as an app)
3. Windows Live Messenger / Facebook Chat
4. Bing Vision
5. Bing Audio
6. Auditory turn-by-turn navigation
7. SMS dictation
8. Threads
9. Colored tiles for Office documents
10. Support for East Asian languages
11. Visual voicemail
12. Office 365 support
13. Groups
14. Artist imagery on lock screen
15. Redesigned Music + Videos hub
16. Smart DJ
17. Playlist management
18. Enable/disable camera sound
19. Linked Inbox
20. Multiple calendars for Windows Live accounts
While we haven't officially heard about these one way or the other, some rumors point to the following six additions making the cut.
1. NFC Support
2. Mobile Studio
3. Facebook video uploads
4. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
5. Multiple calendars for non-Windows Live accounts
6. Support for Wi-Fi Hotspots