windows phone 7.5

Previously showcased as the ZTE Orbit during this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the ZTE Render is a Windows Phone 7.5 Tango handset available from U.S. Cellular.

The phone sports a 4-inch WVGA display, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, and 4GB of onboard memory.

It's also powered by a 1,600mAh lithium ion battery and a 1GHz processor.

In addition, as a Windows Phone device, the Render features Xbox Live, Zune music and video portals, Microsoft Office, and 7GB of SkyDrive cloud computing storage.

Interested users can nab the device for $80, after … Read more

Nokia may offer entry-level Windows Phone 7.5 devices by year's end, according to DigiTimes.

Citing the usual "industry sources," DigiTimes said the new phones would be aimed at consumers in emerging markets, who are considered more price-sensitive.

The hardware requirements for Windows Phone 8 are stricter than those for its predecessor, demanding a dual-core processor and support for near-field communication (NFC). Those features would be difficult to add to more entry-level and mid-level phones, according to the sources, prompting the need for less pricey Windows Phone 7.5 devices.

A Nokia spokesman told CNET that the … Read more

In today's show, Facebook shareholders are fuming, Windows Phones need updating and Prime subscribers are streaming:

Facebook and several banks have been slapped with a lawsuit, accused of hiding some details about revenue estimates days before the stock went public. The charge is this: Facebook spoke with select analysts about additional information on revenue expectations than what was disclosed in amended filings. Smaller investors are upset they were left out of the loop, and say they lost money because they didn't know the full picture. But even if Facebook did give extra info to analysts, it's not … Read more

Anyone with a Windows Phone that hasn't been upgraded to version 7.5 won't be able to use Microsoft's Marketplace app store as of today.

Microsoft announced today that in order to download, buy, update, or review apps in Marketplace, users have to be running Windows Phone 7.5. This change is required for both the phone and web Marketplace storefronts.

"Most phones are already running Windows Phone 7.5, which was released last fall, and so most of you won't notice anything different about how the Marketplace works," Microsoft's director of program … Read more

Group messaging makes it easy to hold a conversation with multiple recipients all in one thread. Unfortunately, this feature is turned off on devices running Windows Phone 7.5 by default.

To enable group messaging:

Going forward, when you're included in a group conversation, or send a message to multiple recipients, the conversation should appear in the same thread. Keep in mind, group messaging uses MMS messages instead of SMS in order … Read more

In addition to lowering its minimum requirements for building Windows Phones, Microsoft announced at Mobile World Congress today that it will add support for multiple attachments to SMS messages.

The new functionality is part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7.5 Tango update due out this spring and includes the option to attach numerous pictures, video, and audio notes to text messages.

Microsoft didn't provide more specific details about the update release schedule but said the new lower-end phones, such as the Nokia Lumia 610, will come preloaded with the software update, while current Windows Phone 7 device owners … Read more

America's first "4G" Windows phone is right around the corner. AT&T recently announced pricing and availability for the Samsung Focus S, which will run on AT&T's HSPA+ network (not AT&T's 4G LTE).

Starting November 6, you'll be able to pick up the higher-end Focus S for $199.99, along with the budget and Samsung Focus Flash for just $49.99. Both require a new two-year contract and a minimum $15-per-month data plan. … Read more

Mango may have been bitten by its first big bug.

Users who have upgraded to the version 7.5 of Microsoft's Windows Phone are complaining that their keyboards randomly disappear or fail to appear when needed. Both Twitter and the XDA Developers forum have received a swarm of messages from Mango users reporting the glitch.

Apparently, people will either touch the input field only to find that the keyboard fails to pop up or be typing an e-mail or IM or other text, and the keyboard will suddenly vanish. The issue appears to be affecting a fair number of … Read more

As promised a few months ago, Navigon announced today that its mobile turn-by-turn navigation application is now available on the Windows Phone 7 platform. The app, Navigon for Windows Phone 7, works only on the newly released version 7.5 of the mobile operating system, aka Mango.

Similar to the company's iOS and Android apps, Navigon for Windows Phone 7 doesn't require a live cellular data connection to work as it stores maps on the phone. This means you can continue to navigate even when the phone is away from cell coverage. Navigon says the app includes spoken turn-by-turn directions, visual lane guidance, and live traffic information and rerouting, among many other features.

Taking advantage of Windows Phone 7.5, which offers developers better access to the operating system's functions, the app has an augmented reality function called Reality Scanner, providing an instant and easy way to identify nearby destinations while on foot; an option to select address information directly from the phone's contact list; and the ability to save a favorite or home address as a shortcut on the start screen.… Read more