Mango Expands Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 International Reach – Gotta Be Mobile
Windows Phone 7?s Mango software update will help Microsoft expand its reach and target more markets internationally, adding more language support, additional localized keyboards, and also bring its Windows Phone Marketplace app store to more countries.
When Windows Phone 7 was launched, Microsoft announced support for 5 languages–English (U.S. and UK), French, German, Spanish, and Italian. With Mango, 17 additional languages will be supported, including: Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish. In addition to Windows Phone 7 handsets being able to support these languages, the Zune software, part of the desktop synchronization software component, will also be updated to support these additional languages.
While these languages are supported by Microsoft, the company says that manufacturers and carriers can choose to load various languages onto phones. For example, an HTC phone sold in the U.S. may not have Chinese language support.
In addition to language support, 20 new keyboards are also available as well as four new fonts.
Also, starting this fall, Windows Phone Marketplace will be available in 35 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
There will also be specific, localized features for select apps and programs for Windows Phone 7, including search, maps, and voice:
Bing search (accessed from the phone’s hardware Search button) is available in 33 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States. (Elsewhere, handset and mobile operators can configure the hardware search button to a locally-relevant search site).
Local search results show up in 6 countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Maps is supported in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Voice-to-text and Voice-to-dial is available in 6 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and the Unites States.
Voice search is supported in 4 countries: France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Via: Windows Team Blog
Tags: firmware, language, local, Mango, Microsoft, regional, smartphone, Software Update, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7
Category: Mobile
A gadget junkie writing about tech. Having grown up in Silicon Valley, I have discovered my passion and love for technology. Inspired by a vision of a truly mobile lifestyle, I began my foray into mobile tech with the PDA era. After owning my first Palm Pilot, my obsession expanded to include UMPCs, tablets, MIDs, smartphones of various platforms. And despite what some may call a tech addiction, the best moment of my week is during the weekends when I get to shut off my gadgets and spend time with family, friends, and loved ones in sunny California. As software, hardware, and the emerging cloud become better evolved, someday, there will be that perfect mobile device that will truly help people to balance work, life, and fun, melding the physical world with the digital. Hit me up on Twitter @chuongvision, Skype (ID: chuongvision), or Facebook (www.facebook.com/chuongvision) and let’s converse tech.
No Comments on “Mango Expands Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 International Reach – Gotta Be Mobile”