At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Microsoft previewed a Wndows Phone 7 upgrade and continued to tout its new deal with Nokia. Among the new features coming to the mobile platform later
this year will be a "dramatically enhanced" version of Internet Explorer 9, broader multitasking capability and the addition of Twitter to the "People" hub--one of the main areas of the WP7 interface,
divided into subject-specific areas.
The first significant update--copy-and past-functionality--will be added in the next month. The upgraded IE9 browser will arrive in the second half of
2011. In a keynote address, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company is happy with the initial consumer response to WP7 phones. Nine out of 10 customers say they would recommend the phone to
someone else, according to Microsoft. There are now 8,000 apps in the Microsoft Marketplace and 30,000 registered developers.
Ballmer confirmed the WP7 updates will also include CDMA support,
with Verizon Wireless and Sprint--whose networks use that network technology--launching WP7 devices in the first half of 2011. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop also made an appearance, stressing that the
alliance with Microsoft will give operators an option beyond Android or Apple's iOS. The first major release of Nokia Windows Phones is set for 2012. Read more here
.