Zune Software Updated in Annticipation of Mango
Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 August 2011 10:13 Written by Alan Thursday, 25 August 2011 12:00
It didn’t seem to make much of a splash in the tech news today, as Mango has been know to do recently, but Microsoft announced that Zune version 4.8 is now available. This update brings Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) support to the service. In other words, if you want update your Windows Phone, you will need to update your Zune software.
The update will support 22 languages – Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (US and UK), Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish. It will be available to users in the following countries and regions – Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
But, enough boring details, here is what Microsoft is saying about how it will improve the user experience when Mango is released:
- Progressive updates: In Zune 4.8, you only have to click the update button once for multiple updates. Once an update is finished, the software automatically checks for more and repeats the installation process until your phone is completely up to date.
- Streamlined backup: By synching media separately from other phone content, we’ve lowered the overall time it takes to back up your phone. The backup file is also more compact, so it should take up less space on your computer.
- Skip phone backup: If you don’t have enough room on your computer to store a phone backup file, you’ll now have the option to skip this step so you’re not blocked from updating your phone.
Microsoft is also claiming some improvements to the Zune service have been rolled into the version 4.8 release, including changes to movie rentals and parental controlsThe point specifically to the following:
- 48-hour movie rentals
- Parental Controls now support M-rated (Mature) content
- Option to hide purchase confirmation dialog for faster app checkout
- See what apps are compatible with the Windows Phone you own
You should see the update available the next time you open your Zune software. So far, we have seen or heard of any problems. If you have one, or just want to give an opinion, then let us know in the comments below.
Zune HD Gets Email
Last Updated on Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:51 Written by Alan Saturday, 2 April 2011 08:51
It has taken a while, but the Zune HD has finally got an email app. Of course, this should have come along a when the HD launched, but better late than never. The new app works with Gmail, Windows Live Mail, and Pop 3 mail. It allows user to both send and receive mail – as long as you have a WiFi connection of course. The app can be found now in the Zune Marketplace.
Of course, we are still waiting to see if the Zune will survive as a stand-alone device. Hopefully it will. Perhaps the next version needs a bit more Windows Phone 7 in it – more like an iPod Touch. But, the device is important to the market and deserves to live on.
Windows Phone 7 And Zune 4.7 Officialy Launched
Last Updated on Monday, 11 October 2010 08:05 Written by Alan Monday, 11 October 2010 04:53
Today, with live events in New York and London, Microsoft officially launched Windows Phone 7, although you can’t actually buy one until November 8. The Microsoft press release I received states:
The new Windows Phone 7 arrives in stores starting Monday, November 8. It’s a different kind of phone, designed to get to everything you love easier and faster. We’re giving our Windows Phone Insider subscribers direct access to the latest details.
The phones announced today included the Samsung Focus, LG Quantum, and HTC Surround for AT&T and the HTC HD 7 for T-Mobile, as well as the Dell Venue Pro.
Microsoft’s blog gave a short update on today’s NYC launch with Steve Ballmer:
Just a short while ago Steve Ballmer took the stage here in New York City to take the wraps of the Windows Phone 7 global portfolio, revealing nine new handsets from leading mobile operators in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Australia. He talked about how Windows Phone was designed to help bring together the stuff you care about most to help you get things done faster, whether that is going through work email, updating your Facebook status, taking pictures of your night out or playing games, music and video.
Windows Phone is all about deep, integrated experiences and a unique, elegant design. These integrated experiences come from all across Microsoft including Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Office Mobile, Zune, Windows Live, Bing and more. But it is not just about Microsoft services, Windows Phone 7 is a powerful platform for third party developers as well, allowing them to build applications that are visually stunning and functionally unique. Only Windows Phone 7 has Live Tiles, that display real time updates like news, appointments or status updates. The Live Tiles and Start screen mean you can have a customizable and deeply personal experience with your phone. Like it should be! Our mobile phones are increasingly important to our lives, and they should be uniquely ours. I love that every time I unlock my Windows Phone my family and best friends are staring back at me on the Start screen, and I can get a quick read on what is happening in their lives.
That is my quick update from the press conference. I am going to scoot around the event this morning and post some more about gaming, music and video and of course some more shots of the cool new hardware from Dell, HTC Corp., LG and Samsung.
As for features, here’s what we know now:
- It will have email, calendar, and contacts syncing automatically from your Hotmail account, much the way Google integrates into Android phones.
- Social networks such as Facebook and MySpace also integrate themselves with Phone 7.
- Photos will sync with your SkyDrive account.
- OneNote will also sync with SkyDrive and also with Office 2010.
- Locate a lost phone via maps on http://windowsphone.live.com
Unlike the Phone, the Zune 4.7 software update is available today. When I opened the Zune program on my PC I was immediately greeted with the news.
Once I’ve had more of chance to play around with it I will do a writeup on the features and changes. Although, I do not yet have a review phone to try it out with so for right now I can only look at the Zune features. I’ll leave you with this sneak peek.
