Samsung Focus
AT&T Reaffirms Commitment to Updating Windows Phones
AT&T has indicated through its forums that it will provide a system update for its Windows Phone devices (including the HTC Titan, Samsung Focus and others) at some point in the coming months. For reasons unknown, AT&T has not distributed the 8107 system update. This update fixes several bugs as well as boosts performance. The company is looking at delivering Tango, or Consumer Release 3 (CR3) of Windows Phone, down the line. When it arrives, this update will include the 8107 fixes and more.
Samsung Focus v1.4 Phones Now Receiving Mango
Microsoft announced recently that it and AT&T are delivering the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update to Samsung Focus smartphones that shipped with firmware version 1.4. The update should appear on user devices soon. Microsoft is also sending out the first wave of post-Mango maintenance updates to a number of phones and carriers around the world. Microsoft reminds users to make sure they have the latest Zune syncing software and check for updates periodically. The maintenance updates generally provide performance tweaks and bug fixes.
AT&T to Sell 3 WP7.5 Smartphones from HTC and Samsung
AT&T today announced that it will sell the HTC Titan, and the Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash later this fall. All three devices will run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. These are the first new WP7.5 handsets from AT&T since last year's models. Additionally, AT&T will start updating its existing Windows Phone 7 lineup — including the HTC HD7S, Samsung Focus, LG Quantum, and HTC Surround — to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango later this fall. AT&T said that some of the new WP7.5 devices would include HSPA+ 4G mobile broadband capabilities.
HTC Surround Now Receiving NoDo Update
Microsoft recently revealed that it has finalized the February and March NoDo updates for the HTC Surround, which is available from AT&T. Both updates can be installed by HTC Surround users. Microsoft also noted that it continues to examine why the NoFo update is causing problems for some Samsung Focus owners. AT&T and Samsung believe they will have a solution available soon. In addition to the NoDo distribution, Microsoft also said that it is pushing a small security update to all Windows Phone 7 devices. The update will be delivered via the wireless network operators over the coming weeks. It will update the operating system to 7.0.7392.0.
NoDo Scheduled for LG Quantum, Samsung Focus
Microsoft has provided an update to the status of AT&T's Windows Phone 7 devices and the NoDo update. According to the Windows Phone Blog, the LG Quantum and Samsung Focus have passed the testing phase and are now in the scheduling phase. This means the update will arrive for the Quantum and Focus shortly. NoDo for the HTC Surround, however, is not yet ready. Microsoft explains, "The updates we deliver contain a complex stew of software code. The content often includes not only our fixes and improvements but also software supplied by companies that make the phone itself and the chips inside it. One of these third-party software 'packages' earmarked for the HTC Surround needs additional testing by both Microsoft and AT&T." Focus and Quantum users will be alerted when the update is ready for their phones, which should be within approximately two weeks.
Microsoft Taking 'Patient' Route to Distributing Updates
Microsoft's Joe Belifiore today admitted that the system updates offered to Windows Phone 7 devices so far have fallen short of the company's expectations. "We had expected it to be earlier than now," said Belfiore at Microsoft's MIX 2011 conference in Las Vegas. Microsoft began pushing an update in February that was meant to prepare WP7 devices for future updates. That update itself didn't roll out smoothly, and caused problems for some handsets. Once Microsoft believed those problems to be solved, it began the more sigtnificant NoDo update, which adds copy-and-paste and other features. It ran into problems with that update, too. "We felt it would be better to be a little bit patient, make sure that when we get updates out that they would happen reliably, and unfortunately that caused a delay in getting things out," Belfiore commented. Microsoft believes that future updates will be rolled out more successfully. As of today, WP7 devices running on AT&T's networt — HTC Surround, LG Quantum, and Samsung Focus — have yet to receive the NoDo update. The next major update, Mango, won't be pushed out until later this year.
Microsoft Provides 'NoDo' Roll-Out Schedule
Microsoft has published a web site to provide Windows Phone 7 users with a general idea of when they might expect their devices to receive the NoDo update. According to the site, Microsoft is scheduling the update for the Dell Venue Pro and HD7 (both on T-Mobile), which means it should be available in the next 10 days or so. The update is still being tested for other phones, such as the Surround, Quantum, and Focus, and the update has yet to be scheduled for them. NoDo provides copy and paste and better Marketplace search.
Windows Phone 7: Hands-On
Hands-on with the full range of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices announced this week, including the HTC HD7 and Surround, LG Quantum, Samsung Focus, and Dell Venue Pro.
