Does "Mango" address the many gaps in the first version of Windows Phone 7? It's hard to say, as working versions of the OS are not yet available for people like me to test. And although Microsoft has been dribbling out information for months on "Mango," there's little meaningful detail yet -- especially on the core business capabilities that the first version lacked. When I asked Microsoft for what "Mango" added for business users, it was unable to tell me, pointing me instead to a vapid blog entry that said nothing about business. The improvements Microsoft has focused on publicly tend to fall into two camps: social applications and information sharing.
[ Learn how to manage iPhones, Androids, BlackBerrys, and other smartphones in InfoWorld's 20-page Mobile Management Deep Dive PDF special report. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]
Chances are we won't know for sure about its use in business settings until the first Windows Phone 7.5 smartphones are released. But here's what to look for in the new OS, based on what was missing in the original. In some cases, Microsoft has promised to fill these gaps, so I note those potential fixes as well.
Security capabilities
What's missing:
- On-device encryption
- Complex passwords and enforcement
- Virtual private networks
- Support for static IP addresses
Web and Internet capabilities
What's missing:
- HTML5 support. The adoption of Internet Explorer 9 in "Mango" brings HTML5 support, though IE9 supports significantly fewer HTML5 features than any other mobile browser. Still, it's progress.
- Adobe Flash support. Yes, iOS and BlackBerry OS don't support this either, and Flash support on Android and the now-defunct WebOS is limited, so this is not a big issue for me, but it is for some users.
- Bookmark folders in the browser.
Application and UI capabilities
What's missing:
- Multitasking. Microsoft says "Mango" will provide the ability to switch apps so that they continue to run in background.
- Copy and paste. Microsoft also says it will add this capability to Windows Phone 7 "Mango."
- Device-wide search.
- App-specific location controls.
- Message threading. Microsoft has said it will add this capability to its mail client and have it work across email accounts.
- Email folder automatic syncing.
- Email search by fields (such as From or Subject).
A reminder of where Windows Phone 7 does well
Although the first version of Windows Phone 7 had many gaps that mattered greatly to business users, the smartphone OS also includes several capabilities that show a more competitive side to the OS. Voice-based Web searches (also available on Google's Android), an onscreen keyboard containing emoticons, opt-in auto-correction, and the ability for the browser to represent itself to websites as a desktop browser (for better display) are all examples of its strengths.
In the social arena, Windows Phone 7 "Mango" promises some appealing capabilities, such as letting users engage in one conversation across multiple social networking and instant-messaging tools.
When "Mango" smartphones finally become available, we'll be able to see which omissions have been addressed. If they have, Windows Phone 7 could become a competitor to the iPhone and Android among business users. If not, it'll probably languish. After all, social networking by itself is not enough to attract users, as Microsoft learned the hard way with its ill-fated Kin "social" phone.
This article, "Windows Phone 'Mango': Ripe or rotten?," was originally published atInfoWorld.com. Read more of Galen Gruman's Mobile Edge blog and follow the latest developments in mobile technology at InfoWorld.com. Follow Galen's mobile musings on Twitter at MobileGalen. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
This story, "Windows Phone 'Mango': Ripe or Rotten?" was originally published by InfoWorld.