A podcast for Windows Phone 7 developers suggests the next upgrade 
will convert text messages to audio and the receiver's spoken reply to text, allowing drivers to keep both hands on the steering wheel. Code-named Mango, Microsoft's Phone 7 upgrade is also expected to feature voice-enabled turn-by-turn directions courtesy of Bing Maps, as well as new Bing audio and video services that dramatically expand the search capabilities for mobile handset users.
Microsoft intends to put its new Mango SDK into the hands of developers later this month, with the final platform release probably landing on Windows Phone 7 smartphones by autumn. "The Mango release is going to bring this platform to a competitive level with what is out there from Apple or Google, even allowing for its late ship date," noted Al Hilwa, director of applications software development at IDC.
Rising To a Competitive Level
Some of the latest hints concerning what Mango will contain amount to little more than amplification and detail on what Microsoft announced earlier at MIX11, Hilwa observed. Among other things, Microsoft's mobile-platform apparently will be getting Android-like features, including the turn-by-turn directions.
"Turn-by-turn directions are key for the consumer segment of the market, and so is all the work they are doing in strengthening the Bing part, bolstered now with assets from Nokia in terms of the mapping services," Hilwa said.
The new Bing audio service for Mango will let handset users record a snippet of a song being played on a radio or other audio sources so Bing search can identify the track's title and performer. Bing audio is expected to be similar to a popular free app called Shazam already available for Windows Phone 7 devices.
Still, there is ample room for third-party developers to continue creating apps that provide functions similar to those built into Windows Phone 7, according to Brandon Watson, Microsoft's director of developer experience. "Even if it is built into the core operating system, this doesn't mean you can't build a better app for [the same function] that provides a deeper experience," he said.
Augmented Reality
With Mango, Windows Phone 7 smartphone users will also apparently receive SkyDrive access, Twitter integration, and podcast downloading. And with the addition of a new Bing Vision service, handset users will be able to use a device's built-in camera to read bar codes or convert printed text to digital form.
Augmented reality is a category of apps that has taken off on other platforms, so supporting camera and audio integration is key, Hilwa observed. "Bringing HTML5 capabilities from IE9 will hit the market just when adoption begins to take off," Hilwa added.
However, the real smarts in Mango will come from some of the clever multitasking features that will allow apps to do different things -- whether the handset user is "on 3G or on Wi-Fi, or when they are powered or not," Hilwa said. "I think it will have the best thought-through multitasking features of any platform when it ships."
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