Microsoft announces early access to Mango for Windows Phone developers

By Tom Warren, on 29th Jun 11 3:09 pm with 27 Comments

Windows Phone Mango

Microsoft announced on Wednesday an early preview program to Windows Phone Mango.

The software giant announced the preview program in a blog post on Wednesday. Registered developers will get invites to a Microsoft Connect site which will provide access to the Mango beta bits. “This build of Mango should also be viewed as beta quality,” warned Microsoft’s Brandon Watson. “There are still consumer features missing, but you can now start building apps and testing them against retail devices.”

Microsoft also provided a beta 2 version of the Mango Windows Phone Developer Tools on Wednesday. The bits are required for developers to update their retail devices to Mango. DreamSpark members will also get the opportunity to win one of 50 developer phones with Mango. Microsoft will judge entries submitted using a Sketchflow mock-up of  potential applications. The following countries will get access to the beta bits over the next “couple of weeks”:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Microsoft is encouraging developers to test their applications against new functionality like fast app resume, updated Live Tiles, Motion Sensor, Live Agents, sockets, background audio or raw camera access. The software giant also wants Windows Phone Developers to be proud they have Mango. “Go rub it in your friends’ faces that you have Mango and they don’t,” said Watson.

  • http://openid.tomservo.eu/ Tom Servo

    “Next couple of weeks…”

    Great. Just a few days ago over on WPDevPodcast, Brandon Watson was all like if they were going to release it, it was for everyone at once.

    • HenningK

      It’s releasing today, and you can download when you get the email today (if you’re a validated, registered dev). The list of countries are the ones that are *supported* an in this case that actually means that Microsoft will try to fix your device if it breaks, and you’re in one of those countries.

      And the process of getting THAT “support infrastructure” in place will happen over the next couple of days.

  • http://twitter.com/s_a_r_k_i_s sarkis chamelian

    GIVE IT !!!!

    • Sychee

      Why only developers in the listed countries? I paid for my developer subscription and published my app in the marketplace too? If Apple provides updates to all its iOS developers why can’t Microsoft do it? Disappointed :(

  • http://twitter.com/Admiredluke Matthew Beadle

    Becoming a developer just become 10 million, time
    more interesting. Time to go learn Silverlight!

  • http://twitter.com/swfdougherty Stephen Dougherty

    This for students as well?

    • Anonymous

      It is

  • ss

    Invitations have been sent out via email.

  • http://twitter.com/rruffman07 Juan Rodriguez

    Got my invite and just downloaded the new rom…

    • Mario_fanous

      wen did u sign up i became a developer yesterday

    • Mario_fanous

      and i want my invite

  • http://openid.tomservo.eu/ Tom Servo

    Okay, trying to get the grasp on this wishy-washy stuff, it _appears_ that the beta image comes with the updated SDK. The “next few weeks” relates to support issues.

    I guess I’ll see when done installing the SDK.

    • HenningK

      You’re almost correct. The beta image will be available for download from the Connect site when you get your invite, which probably happens today or tomorrow.

    • HenningK

      You’re almost correct. The beta image will be available for download from the Connect site when you get your invite, which probably happens today or tomorrow.

  • http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

    I want the link xD

  • Alphajackson3

    Can some one tell me what this update is that I got today (6/29/11), I have an LG Quantum and I already have NoDo. I’m not a developer; did MS send me Mango by mistake?  

    • Alphajackson3

      NVM its the Photo update lol

  • Alphajackson3

    Can some one tell me what this update is that I got today (6/29/11), I have an LG Quantum and I already have NoDo. I’m not a developer; did MS send me Mango by mistake?  

  • Bryan1UP

    If it’s so easy to update your phone by downloading the beta directly from Microsoft, why in the world did it take so long to roll out NoDo to all its WP7 phones?  This beta just shows that if Microsoft really wanted to, they could just release the phone updates directly to the users without going through the carriers.

    • CandidCalum

      No it doesn’t mean that because this is a beta version for developers only, and the carriers understand that. The NoDo update was a final version of the Windows Phone software for all Windows Phone consumers (not just developers who understand what a beta is).

  • Mike Wilson

    From the instructions, it seems like this takes a backup of your retail image and then updates the phone ROM to a non-standard image.  The instructions claim that when the retail image is then released, users will have to fall back to their previous retail backup, and that anything on the phone since then will be lost.  Can this be confirmed by anyone?  Makes me less hesitant to update my single retail device.

    • seev

      I am in the process of finishing up the update. It’s true, you get a backup of your retail ROM that you have to use to restore the phone back to it’s retail state.

  • CandidCalum

    I’m so gutted I didn’t get GeoTrust verified when I signed up for an account :( I didn’t realise it would take days to get verified :(

    • seev

      The process is pretty easy. Just contact them and have them email you a form. Once you got the form, print it out and fax it or scan and email it back to them with the attached photo identification. I got verified within 1 day of sending them my info.

    • CandidCalum

      Thanks for the clarification :) I was told 2-3 days, so I’m happy to know it sometimes takes only a day.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_AYZIEZ4OUBHEK53Q27YZ5KCB4E Something Different

    I did the update, worked flawlessly. Anyone else? I did notice I am unable to create smart dj for some reason. Says it is having trouble and tells me to connect to Zune. I do, but stil doesn’t work. Anyone else seeing this?

  • Typhos

    how do you actually install the rom ?