"For months, we and dozens of our partner companies have been laying the groundwork for the Windows Phone 7.5 update--and making solid progress. As a result, we now expect to start rolling it out in the next week or two," writes Microsoft's Eric Hautala, general manager of customer experience engineering for Windows Phone, in a Sept. 21 Windows Phone Blog .

Why Mango Matters

Windows Phone 7.5 (WP7) brings dozens of new features to Microsoft's mobile OS, which needs a refresh with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android platforms.

Mango's Start screen now let users create personalized live tiles for their friends or groups. And the updated provides a single interface for Facebook, LinkedIn, Outlook, Twitter, and Windows Live Messenger updates, saving users from having to switch between apps.

Mango has tighter integration with Skydrive, Microsoft's cloud storage service. For instance, Office users now can access SkyDrive via the Office hub, and can pin Office documents to the Start screen--a feature reminiscent of the Windows desktop.