During this years TechEd in New Zealand, Microsoft revealed that the highly anticipated Mango update to its Windows Phone platform will support front-facing cameras and feature a mobile hotspot. Mango promises over 500 new features for the Windows Phone platform.
It is currently unknown if Microsoft will make this a hardware requirement for Windows Phone Mango manufacturers to include a front-facing camera on all phones. What we do know for sure is that front-facing camera support is on its way.
The guys over at WPCentral are reporting that a feature called Internet Sharing is in the Mango update. This feature allows users to connect their laptops, tablets, and/or other devices to the Internet over WiFi using their phone. The hotspot feature can have up to five connections at a time. This, however, is a huge battery waster.
Anyone think this is ground-breaking new features for a smartphone? To put things in perspective, Google’s Android operating system already has these features, so Microsoft is simply playing catch-up.
With the recent release to manufacturing of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Microsoft has begun to show off its features. Recently in an official blog post, the company showcased the new voice-to-text capabilities that will be available in Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.
Further reading: Mango, Windows Phone 7
