Windows Phone Mango Preview Roundup (Update)

Yesterday night a press embargo was lifted and we discovered that many technology news outlets have been toying around with a preview build of Mango on a Samsung Focus for quite some time. All of their preview impressions have been posted on the web and we've decided to collect them together here, so enjoy the Windows Phone Mango Preview Roundup!

(Update: Added CNET, WinRumors, and ZDNet)

CNET

Part of Microsoft's challenge is getting customers to see Mango's smart integration as a new way, one that gives them an edge over the status quo--this has been one of its biggest trouble spots from the get-go. Bright ideas like app integration, Bing Vision, and voice-to-text don't and should not paper over the weak points like inconsistent search results. We hope Microsoft inspects and overcomes every flaw we found. Taken as a whole, however, Mango is a satisfying upgrade from the original Windows Phone OS, and one that brings the platform closer to the competition.

As it stands, there's a lot to like in Mango, and we remain cautiously optimistic about Microsoft's mobile prospects. For its part, Microsoft will need to continue bulking up the features, wooing developers, educating consumers, and thinking outside of the box--posthaste.

Gizmodo

Pleasant. That doesn't sound like much of an accomplishment, or a benchmark or like, impressive. But the truth is, most technology isn't pleasant. The new Windows Phone is. Very much so.

It feels alive. Everything bounces. Everything swoops. Everything flips. Every single action is lushly animated. It just doesn't sweat the details—blood was spilled. The lock screen isn't a simple shade. It has a sense of weight and gravity; the further up you drag it before you let go, the faster it slams back down (if you don't completely unlock it). It's almost like the phone is happy to be alive. Which kind of makes you feel happy to use it. No other phone is like that.

PocketNow

Holy cow there are a ton of new features in Windows Phone Mango! We didn't even get to try the Twitter integration since that's not working yet. We've been told that it's working on internal servers, but the public Windows Live servers will have to be upgraded before a wider rollout. We also haven't been able to try the app deep linking, background tasks for 3rd party apps, and in-app live tile pinning just yet, but from what we've seen in this preview build running on existing Samsung Focus hardware, there is a lot to look forward to. Many of these new features are mainly bringing Windows Phone up to speed with the competition, yet there are a number that are quite innovative and sure to make Windows Phone stand out above the crowd. 

SlashGear

Mango has certainly shifted Microsoft’s game forward considerably. The social networking integration and elements like Smart DJ, Conversation View and the Quick Cards have been slotted in without detracting from the overall design ethos, while essential additions like multitasking and the usable task-switcher help Windows Phone from feeling passé in comparison to its more established rivals. There are even elements where Android and iOS could do well to learn from Microsoft’s example, such as the conversational Threads.

[...]Windows Phone 7.1 Mango goes a reasonable way in bringing the company’s mobile strategy up to competitive speed. It lacks the ecosystem and polish of iOS and the flexibility and openness of Android, but offers instead a distinctive UI and some functionality that’s very usable day-to-day. For Microsoft’s target audience of first-time smartphone upgraders and mainstream users that may well be enough.

This is my next...

Digging through Mango’s settings revealed that the version number is 7.5 — and after spending several days putting it through its paces, I’d argue that’s the right number. It’s more than a 7.1, less than an 8.0. Without question, Mango thoroughly addresses a few pain points that Windows Phone 7 users are experiencing today — none bigger than multitasking — but we’re going to need to wait until developers kick into high gear before we’re going to be able to see just how well Microsoft’s architecture works in practice. And really, Microsoft seems just as keen as ever on moving the conversation away from functionality line items and toward end-to-end user experiences — features like Bing Vision, for instance, that are completely effortless and seamless to use. That’s a familiar message that it’s been delivering since last year with Windows Phone 7′s initial launch. Granted, Mango delivers it with more credibility, but convincing manufacturers, carriers, and users that Windows Phone is a legitimate contender will be as difficult as ever, particularly with Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS 5 hitting the market around the same time. Regardless of Mango’s ultimate success at the register, though, I like more about Windows Phone in Mango than ever — and I’m definitely looking forward to playing with some final software and hardware.

WinRumors

Microsoft’s next-generation Windows Phone operating system is slick, full of features and addresses the needs of consumers and businesses every step of the way. Microsoft has listened to its early critics and has started to respond in a big way. Mango includes over 500 features and it’s the attention to detail and settings options that make Mango a blessing for Windows Phone users.

WinSuperSite

I'll need to spend a lot more time with Mango, and with more feature-complete versions of the product, before I can make any kind of definitive assessment of this software. But I can say this right now. Mango will be provided as a free update to all existing Windows Phone handsets, so there's some value in that. It very nicely improves the capabilities of the platform while utilizing the same basic user experience, so it will be a seamless and painless upgrade from a usage perspective. And while Mango doesn't address some of the shortcomings from v1, it adds so many useful new features, and fixes so many of the early complaints, that I'm finding it hard to criticize this release with any enthusiasm. I'll keep using it and report back when we get closer to the final release. But Mango looks great so far, and I've really only scratched the surface here.

WPCentral

Is it all rosy? Perhaps not, there's still some "Microsoft control" over the OS is still present, the permanent "tool bar" above the keyboard takes away precious real-estate, the inability to download podcasts over 3G seems over-protective, etc. But these come off as more nits than full on criticism. With so many fixes, new features or expansions of old ones, it seems a bit difficult to levy serious criticism. For being a "preview release" the OS is substantially stable, with only the rarest of hangups and demonstrates how far along in development Microsoft is with "Mango", making that fall deadline extremely plausible (and hey, it works on the Focus already--heck, Sammy even gave us a new firmware update this weekend).

ZDNET

Mango is what most people wanted to see from Windows Phone 7 when it was launched late last year and the 7.5 label is accurate. As a fan of Windows Phone I am excited about the update as it addresses nearly all of the issues I have with Windows Phone 7 and it is a pleasure to use. I plan to spend a lot more time with Mango over the coming months and will provided updated thoughts and experiences as more features are rolled out.

Still have a craving for some sweet Mango? Then check out our impressions of the Windows Phone Mango emulator for more in-depth feature goodness: Part 1 & Part 2.