Windows is launching updates for Windows Phone which resolves some issues but also leads to some drawbacks, according to media reports.
There are several upgrades with the update identified as 8107, according to a Windows update history. For example, the onscreen keyboard will no long disappear while a user is typing. The update also fixes Google mail syncing. In addition, when users reply to an e-mail message or forward a message, the original message is included. Another improvement leads to the “Me” feature sending information regarding Wi-Fi towers and access points to Microsoft only if users agree with the check-in option. Another improvement means it will no longer accept digital certificates from DigiCert Sdn Bhd. And a voicemail notification has been fixed, as well. All of this is according to the history.
The update is available to all carriers who ask for it, according to a blog post from Eric Hautala, general manager, Windows Customer Experience Engineering. In addition, there will be changes to the blog and website.
But these latter changes have gotten some users angry, according to PCWorld, partly because of reduced “transparency.”
“Microsoft is abandoning its efforts to keep users informed of which vendors and carriers are providing the update,” according to the PC World analysis.
“When it launched it borrowed many of the wrong things from iOS, and as it matures it seems to be stealing a page from Android on ‘how not to update smartphones and minimize fragmentation,’” PC World adds.
Meanwhile, looking back at the recent holiday selling season, Windows Phone 7 had lackluster sales because of “poor marketing and an even worse launch,” according to a recent report from TechZone360. And Google’s Android operating system is far more competitive, TechZone360 adds. The future of Windows Phone is still an open question, according to several industry observers.
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Ed Silverstein is a TechZone360 contributor. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
