SlashGear 101 : Windows Phone 7.1 Mango

Welcome to SlashGear 101, a place where you’re going to be able to learn everything you wanted to know about every little subject that matters most in the tech world. Today’s subject is the brand-spanking-new Windows Phone version 7.1 Mango, a system that will be available for free to all eligible Windows Phone customers by the fall of 2011. This newest system improves the Windows Phone experience by Extending the App Experience, making “A Smarter Smartphone” with predictive features and multitasking, and adding Internet features that include Music Search, Visual Search (with photo recognizing abilities,) and Local Scout which shows you businesses and etc around the area you’re physically located. Sounds great! Let’s have a look!

 

Mango is Windows Phone’s next step, Microsoft noting that they’d be working with a smarter approach to apps, a web experience that “goes beyond the browser,” and communication features that make it easier to connect to your contacts. The first item they’ve added is Internet Explorer 9 built directly into each of the newest devices. In the video you’re about to see below, they show off the speed of the internet browser on several phones competitors – something manufacturers are generally not so apt to do. A BlackBerry, an Android, an iPhone, and a brand new Mango phone are included.

Guess which one wins?

Check out this quick and easy breakdown of the key features, see the excellent videos below as provided by Microsoft, then head to the press release for any additional bits you may want to nitpick!

Bing Features

Next they work with “Local Scout,” Bing-powered feature that finds local businesses for you based on your actual physical location. Eat and drink, see and do, and shop help you to understand your surroundings. Favorites collect which items you like the best, and highlights are picked for you. This is closely related to the next big feature that makes your experience less about typing and more about working with your interests outside of the phone: Bing Vision. What this feature does is take, for example, a book- photographing the book, recognizing the book from the cover, and linking to everything that could possibly go with the book like prices, e-versions of the book, and locations you can purchase the book in real life.

A Smarter Approach to Apps

Inside the games hub, multitasking is shown off. Built-in multitasking, as they say, will allow you to play a game and switch back and forth between other games and apps by simply holding down the “back” button. A list is shown for you, easily available for you to be flipping back and forth at will. Another bit of this is the new ability to “pin” apps to your homescreen. This ability not only allows you to have a shortcut to the app, but a shortcut, for example, to a specific product in an app such as Best Buy whose app is made to work with this new feature.

Communications Features

Inside email, you’ll notice a whole new look compared to the older vision you’re used to. This new system allows you to see emails back and forth as a conversation – instead of having a giant list of emails to and from a single contact, they’re all collected in strings automatically. A new feature having to do with this is the ability to create Groups. This shows off not just when they’re emailing you, but when they’ve updated their Facebook, Twitter, and etcetera. This is like having a “best of” friends app. Threads is a new feature that ties together text, Facebook chat, Windows Live Messenger via PC or Xbox. Everything tied together.