Microsoft Promises Windows Phone 7 Update Within A Month

An updated Microsoft Windows Phone 7 is coming within the next month, but some major enhancements such as support for Office documents in the cloud and support for the upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser won't be available until later this year.

Microsoft executives, speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, also said there are more than 8,000 applications available for Windows Phone 7 devices on the vendor's online app marketplace.

Microsoft has sold 2 million Windows Phone 7 licenses in the two months since the mobile OS became available. Windows Phone 7, which Microsoft debuted at last year's Mobile World Congress, is the vendor's latest effort to get back into the competitive game for mobile devices against Apple and Google.

Last week Microsoft and mobile device manufacturer Nokia forged a broad strategic alliance under which Nokia will develop a new mobile phone and accompanying ecosystem based on Windows Phone 7. At the Mobile World Congress Microsoft executives hailed the Nokia deal as a major victory for Windows Phone 7 and held it up as an example of Microsoft's long-range vision for the mobile OS.

"With this partnership, we are taking another big step toward driving global scale, reach and impact," said Andy Lees, president of Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business, at the Barcelona conference.

Next: What's In The Next Release Of Windows Phone 7

Microsoft said the first major Windows Phone 7 update is coming in the next month and will include the copy-and-paste functionality that critics have cited as a critical missing function in the initial release. Microsoft also promised that Windows Phone 7 devices will be "available soon" on U.S. networks such as Verizon and Sprint.

But other enhancements, while slated for sometime this year, won't be in the next release of Windows Phone 7. That includes support for Office documents in the cloud, Twitter integration within the mobile OS's People Hub, and new multitasking applications.

Microsoft's IE9 has been in beta for months and last week Microsoft said the browser software is now in "release candidate" mode, meaning its features are locked down and it's available for device makers. There's been speculation Microsoft might announce its general availability at the Mix 2011 Web developer conference in Las Vegas in April.

Microsoft said the addition of IE9 to Windows Phone 7 later this year would provide a "dramatically enhanced" browser experience, according to a company statement summarizing its Mobile World Congress announcements.

"We're in the race -- it's not a sprint but we are certainly gaining momentum and we're in it for the long run," said Achim Berg, a corporate vice president in Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business and Marketing Group, in a statement. "We know we have tough competition, and this is a completely new product. Our design is different, our platform is different, our customer experience is different, and our long-term strategy for earning widespread adoption is different."