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It takes two to tango, and the next two updates to Windows Phone have been revealed, according to reports from China. Windows Phone Tango will follow the forthcoming Windows Phone 7 update known as Mango, and Windows Phone 8 will follow next year with the codename Apollo.
Tango will add new features to phones using Microsoft’s mobile software sometime next year. Apollo will follow in late 2012. Hopefully the Tango update will turn everything orange.
Chinese sites DigiTimes and Chinatimes report Tango and Apollo will be the next updates after the Mango update expected in autumn — click here for our handy-dandy video guide to Windows Phone Mango.
Windows Phone is based around large colourful squares that update photos, contacts and other information on the home screen, called Live Tiles. Mango, also known as Windows Phone 7.1, adds multi-tasking, Internet Explorer 9 and dancing Xbox Live avatars among more than 500 updates.
Mango’s autumn arrival pits it against iOS 5, the latest version of Apple’s mobile software, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the next version of Google’s OS. iOS and Android have a couple of years headstart over Microsoft, so future Windows Phones need to pull their fingers out. Hopefully Nokia’s Windows Phones will pull something special out of the bag to give the forthcoming iPhone 5 and Google Nexus Prime a run for their money.
Click here for a handy comparison chart of smart phone software.
The Tango and Apollo updates could also see Microsoft’s smart phone software continue to blur the lines between Windows Phone and Microsoft’s Windows software for computers and tablets. The forthcoming Windows 8 features Live Tiles — although not all of you are convinced that’s such a great idea.
As Windows Phone races to catch up with its rivals, which is more important for success: software updates, or new phones? Let us know what you think in the comments section or on our Facebook page. And keep it Crave, where you always know when you’ve been Tango’d.
