Microsoft confirms ‘Mango’ to be called Windows Phone 7.5

It’s final at last folks, the next major update for Windows Phone, dubbed ‘Mango,’ will rename the phone line Windows Phone 7.5.

While the coming name is ugly, and will merely confuse users, it is official. The following image is from Microsoft’s partner website:

Mango will contain new hardware capabilities for developers to work with, along with better browsing, and larger opportunities and abilities in regards to the WP7 Marketplace. As we have long noted, Microsoft is desperate to grow its pool of WP7 applications and active developers.

Mango will also bring multitasking to the WP7 platform. This will support faster app switching, file transfer (of various file types), and ‘background processing.’

Due in May, Microsoft will release a beta set of developer tools that will give new power to developers to help them create the next generation of WP7 apps that are, in the words of Daft Punk, ‘Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger.’

Also due in Mango will be the ability for developers to interface with a handset’s camera, something that has been sorely absent. In short, the hardware will become more open in Mango, creating the possibility of much richer applications.

IE9, as we have long reported, will be coming in Mango. It will, as does its PC brother, have HTML5 and hardware acceleration. We might need dual-core WP7 handsets after all, right?

Finally, Skype, Spotify, and an Amazon application are set to be shown off today. More as it comes.

Finally, a short discussion on the name Windows Phone 7.5. It’s bad. Microsoft should simply call the phone line Windows Phone, and then have the OS number increase independently. I asked Microsoft just the other day if the phone line is actually called, currently, Windows Phone, or Windows Phone 7, and it is the latter. Windows Phone 7.5 sounds like a nightmare.

Windows Phone on the other hand sounds decent, if dull. Whatever the case, the matter is settled: Mango is a numbered release.