NoDo
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Microsoft serves up a 'NoDo' update schedule for Windows Phone 7 devices
Where is your Windows Phone 7 "NoDo" update? That's the question Microsoft is aiming to answer with a new spreadsheet it has cobbled together to detail the software status of all WP7 handsets released so far. A February preparatory patch and the long-anticipated first proper upgrade to the OS, herein titled merely "March update," are sat side by side, with a set of delivery states under them for each WP7 phone. Things aren't looking awesome in the US, where AT&T's batch is still undergoing carrier testing and T-Mobile's pair of phones are "scheduling" (which Microsoft says takes no more than 10 days), but news is better overseas, where most have received the February OTA and are mere days away from the final NoDo goodness. Sprint's HTC Arrive and AT&T's upcoming HD7S will both have that software preloaded, so at least new buyers won't have to fret unduly. [Thanks, Arty]
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 'NoDo' update starts rolling out, brings copy / paste and other fun additions
Don't mind that ruckus over in the corner -- that's just millions of Windows Phone 7 users jumping around in boundless celebration. After hearing that the so-called NoDo update would be splashing down on WP7 phones in early February, it seems as if the coders at Microsoft took a few extra weeks to get things just right. Today, the company updated their Windows Phone update history to describe the new features that are rolling out in staggered fashion to phones around the globe, and the standout addition is the copy and paste functionality that AT&T's HD7S will ship with later in the year. You'll also see your apps and games load faster, your marketplace searches refined and your WiFi performance improved. There's also a host of Outlook, messaging, Facebook, audio and camera improvements, though it remains unclear if said video camera now retains your shooting preferences even after you exit the app. Hang tight if you haven't seen your update notification just yet, and be sure to let us know how the new build is treating you down in comments below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 10,000 apps, Microsoft WP7 updates still way outnumbered
It's a milestone in the life of any OS: the day you reach that magical 10,000 app number. Windows Phone 7 is the latest kindred soul to achieve the feat, accomplishing the task in just over four and a half months -- that's faster than both the Android Marketplace and iTunes App Store. Microsoft's been adding around 1,000 apps a week since it hit 5k right before the New Year, and as of late that rate's been picking up. Congrats WP7 devs, you've officially issued more software updates than Microsoft itself. Your move Microsoft, we're still waiting for copy & paste.
Microsoft taking 'extra time' to make sure Windows Phone 7 copy and paste update is solid, targeting late March
Eric Hautala -- the cog in the Microsoft machine responsible for Windows Phone 7's update mechanism -- has taken to the company's official Windows Phone blog today to deep-dive on some of the concerns, problems, and delays that have dogged the platform's updates so far. In brief, Hautala says that the glitches that hosed the small February update for a few customers has brought the company to pause and take the time to make sure everything's rock solid before proceeding with the so-called NoDo update -- which includes copy and paste, performance improvements, and CDMA support -- and had originally been scheduled for the early part of March. Now, they're looking at "the latter half of March," which lines up with what Microsoft France had reported yesterday. He goes on to say that the problems have zero effect on the timeline for awesome new features previewed at MWC last month, which would seem to allay fears that the Mango update had been pushed to 2012. Needless to say, Windows Phone's still got some catching up to do -- so that's good news.
Microsoft France pegs Windows Phone 7's copy and paste update for second half of March
We'd heard "early March" being thrown around for the so-called NoDo update to Windows Phone 7 that includes support for copy and paste (along with performance tweaks and a CDMA stack that'll allow Sprint's HTC Arrive to go about its business) back at MWC, but it looks like that may have slipped a tad: Microsoft France's official PR blog is now trumpeting the second half of this month, which means you can probably stop checking your phone for updates every 15 minutes and regain some semblance of sanity and normalcy in your life for a few days. Legendary Microsoft insider Mary Jo Foley says her sources are telling her that the week of March 21st is looking likely -- conveniently the week of CTIA and the Arrive's launch -- so that would make some sense. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC 7 Mozart's copy and paste update leaked early?
Word has it that an unbranded update for HTC's Windows Phone 7-powered 7 Mozart that's recently appeared over on xda-developers is imbued with Microsoft's fabled "NoDo" code -- that is, the good stuff with copy and paste support, performance improvements, and a CDMA stack (though that obviously doesn't matter for the Mozart folks). Results of the update procedure are still trickling in... so proceed with extreme caution, or just wait for users braver and crazier than yourself to report back on what kind of destruction the update process has wreaked on their beloved devices.
Microsoft's Windows Phone 'mango' update to miss 2011 target? (updated)
Paul Thurrott has been a trusted insider on all things Microsoft for as long as we can remember. As such, it's worth paying attention to a recent article he published on Windows IT Pro that calls for Microsoft's first "NoDo" Windows Phone 7 feature update to hit as early as this week. Of course, Steve Ballmer said it was coming in "early March" so that's not much of a prediction. What really caught our attention are Paul's comments about "Mango" -- the big WP7 feature update that Microsoft says will bring multitasking, IE9, and Twitter integration to Windows Phone handsets later in 2011. According to Thurott's sources, Mango won't be finalized until the end of the year making a release to consumers in 2011 a "near impossibility." Ouch. How this might affect Nokia's Windows Phone 2011 launch plans hopes -- rumored to be waiting for Mango -- remains to be seen. Update: Mary Jo Foley, who's got a few Microsofties in her own back pocket, says that she's hearing that Microsoft recently promised OEMs and carriers Mango by "early fall at the latest" -- just in time for a holiday consumer launch. It's real life he-said she-said rumor flagellation folks!
Windows Phone 7 'NoDo' update hitting phones in early February, 'Mango' coming later with IE9?
Word on the street from Microsoft savant Paul Thurrott is that Windows Phone 7's first update might go gold as early as this week -- in time for Ballmer's CES keynote, in fact, which means he might give it a mention and / or spend a few minutes showing it off. It's said to be codenamed "NoDo," short for "No Donuts" -- a pretty obscure (and odd) reference to the fact that Redmond doesn't want to release incremental, minor updates like Google did with Android 1.6 Donut. We're not sure why they'd bother taking a swipe at an Android build that happened... oh, four versions ago, but Microsoft works in mysterious ways. Anyhow, it'll apparently add copy / paste, CDMA location support (which might be the only thing holding up Verizon and Sprint from launching at this point), support for additional Qualcomm chipsets, and miscellaneous bug fixes. Moving on, Thurrott says that the rumored Mango update isn't the next update after NoDo, but it's real -- and it's big. It'll add Internet Explorer 9 with HTML 5 and Silverlight support, but notably, its code line is being referred to internally as the "entertainment branch," so there might be some other magic in store. Current version numbers for Mango are in the 7.2 range, but builds are in the 7500 range, suggesting Windows Phone 7.5 branding is a possibility. An exciting 2011 for Microsoft on the mobile side? Looks like. Update: Microsoft's Charlie Kindel has chimed in on Twitter in direct response to Thurrott: "BTW, a guy failed to bring donuts to a meeting after loosing [sic] a bet. The 'nodo' codename had nothing to do with Android." Makes a heck of a lot more sense -- and it confirms the accuracy of the codename. Thanks, CrookedC!
