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Among Microsoft's many software announcements to flow from this morning's Windows Phone 7 update event in New York is a list of new hardware partners.

The next wave of Windows phones will come from a crew that is both diverse and familiar. Acer, Fujitsu, and ZTE are new Windows Phone partners. The former two are best known for computing devices like scanners (Fujitsu), laptops and tablet PCs (both), and a recent foray into tablets (Acer).

It's little surprise that the computing stalwarts have their hooks aimed at the white-hot mobile space. Microsoft hasn't detailed specifics on … Read more

Windows Phone 7 is getting a fair amount of work done. In addition to a more integrated outlook on apps, the Windows Phone update coming this fall (code-named Mango), will feature improvements in communications and better Web browsing, with search.

Communications On the communications front, the Mango update will see a multi-network chat feature that gets conversations going among Facebook Chat, Windows Live Messenger, and text messages within the same thread. Windows Phone 7 will also natively support Twitter, which will appear within a contact record. In addition, there will be a new group messaging feature for text and e-mail. Microsoft will also adopt the unified e-mail inbox, for viewing all accounts in a central location.

Search CNET got to take an early look at Bing Vision, a new search feature in the Bing mobile browser, but that isn't the only change planned for the Mango update.

The new Bing search app will bring new visual, audio, and voice search functionality. There's Local Scout, which searches by locations and happenings in your current whereabouts, and support for voice-to-text and text-to-voice dictation options for hands-free texting and chatting. … Read more

With the next update to Windows Phone 7 coming this fall, Microsoft is getting serious about apps. It's not just about how many programs Redmond can cram into its app store (more on this later), but what the Windows Phone platform can do to deliver the right app when you need it.

CNET sat down with Greg Sullivan last week, senior marketing manager of Windows Phone, to preview the most significant new app features hitting the operating system a few months from now in the update code-named Mango.

App Connect brings hubs in on app action Microsoft is raring … Read more

In March came the announcement of Nokia's new strategy to phase out the Symbian operating system and focus on Microsoft's Windows Phone. Now comes some of the hard reality of the change.

The Finnish phone maker announced today that it's transferring 3,000 Symbian employees to consulting firm Accenture and cutting an additional 4,000 by the end of 2012. Most of the cuts will affect employees in Denmark, Finland, and the U.K.

The cuts are necessary for the company's new focus on smartphones and "future disruptions," Chief Executive Stephen Elop said in … Read more

Microsoft announced this morning a handful of tweaks and changes to its Windows Phone Marketplace, many of which promise to make it easier for developers to publish in the now five-month-old digital storefront. The company also provided a look into the purchasing behavior of users, saying that nearly 1 in 10 downloads of a trial for an app or a game results in a sale.

One of the biggest changes centers around application distribution and publishing. Microsoft announced plans to launch a new Global Publisher Program, aimed at helping developers get their games in more markets.

"This program will … Read more

Microsoft is making it a little easier for developers to get their hands on Windows Phone 7 devices for building and testing applications.

In a blog post this afternoon detailing some previously announced updates to the Windows Phone Developer Tools, Brandon Watson, who is Microsoft's director of developer relations, said that the company has partnered with Zones.com to let developers buy Windows Phone 7 devices without a voice or data contract.

The phones, which include HTC's HD7 and Surround as well as the Samsung Focus, come carrier-locked, but can be had for about $500 without venturing to … Read more

Microsoft now says it's sold more than 2 million Windows Phone 7 devices since launch. That number represents handsets sold to mobile operators and retailers and not necessarily consumers.

The first initial report of Windows Phone 7 sales came from Microsoft in late December and topped 1.5 million units. Back then, Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phone, said that number was "in line" with company expectations.

In a phone call with CNET, Greg Sullivan, senior product manager for Windows Phone 7, said while sales were certainly a measure of the platform'… Read more

The team behind ChevronWP7, an application that was released last November as a way for users to install applications without going through Microsoft's Marketplace application or signing up for a paid developer account, says that Microsoft has fixed the "error" that had allowed the hack, and will be rolling out that fix as part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 software update.

ChevronWP7 was available for user download for just a few days before being taken down by its three-man development team. Brandon Watson, director of developer Eexperience for Windows Phone 7, had gotten in touch with … Read more

The long-awaited Windows Phone 7 software update that will bring copy-paste functionality as well as a handful of bug fixes is said to be arriving next month.

That's according to Paul Thurrott over at Windows Phone Secrets, who says that the update is being released to manufacturers this month, with users getting it in the form of a software update pending carrier approval shortly thereafter. Furthermore, Thurrott says the update will bring support for Qualcomm's 7x30 smartphone chipset and a CDMA location stack, which could put the OS onto a more diverse set of hardware.

What about the … Read more