Windows Phone Mango to include new gray theme?

By Tom Warren, on 27th Jul 11 10:50 am with 52 Comments

Windows Phone Mango gray theme

Microsoft appears to have included a new gray Windows Phone theme for its Mango release.

The theme was revealed at the launch of a new Fujitsu handset in Tokyo on Wednesday. Fujitsu presented its new handset running across a variety of pink, yellow and black devices. The theme colors are designed to match each handset’s look and feel. Microsoft’s currently developer preview build of Mango does not include a gray theme but the company’s final build (7720) includes the new style (shown below).

Microsoft is believed to be releasing build 7712 to developers this week. WPCentral spotted a teaser tweet from the WP7 dev podcast team who stated “we’ve got 7,712 reasons for you to look forward to tomorrow.” The news coincides with the company hinting that developers will get a new build shortly. Microsoft announced on Tuesday that Windows Phone Mango is now code complete and released to manufacturing. The company is currently working on releasing a new build according to Cliff Simpkins, a Windows Phone 7 Product Manager at Microsoft. ”We’re working to get devs an updated build soon. Stay tuned to the dev blog,” said Simpkins in a comment on Microsoft’s Windows team blog. Simpkins also appeared to hint at an announcement within 24 hours in a twitter message on Tuesday. “Give me a day to get an official answer for folks,” said Simpkins in reply to questions on Windows Phone Mango RTM bits for developers.

Update: WinRumors reader Neerav Patel points out that OEMs and carriers can add custom theme colours to their ROMs so this could simply be a non-standard customization.

Windows Phone Mango gray theme

http://twitter.com/Nero3000 Neerav Patel

Unlikely.

OEMs and carriers can add custom theme colours to their ROMs. I have an o2 accent colour on mine.
- http://twitter.com/Nero3000 Neerav Patel
  
  Love the credit. Although would prefer it if my name was spelt correctly.
  
  (Common mistake)
- Kieran Kelly
  
  Thats just the common blue colour with a name change every windows phone gets that
http://doctorwhofan98.wordpress.com/ doctorwhofan98

Can you change the default theme for your phone? Or are you stuck with the one the maker chooses?
- Anono
  
  Ye you can change the theme, it is in settings
Yama

Like the “HTC” green
Podracer4711

but yellow is new, too!
- http://www.winrumors.com Tom W
  
  I *think* that’s just “lime” but it looks more yellowish. Who knows
- CandidCalum
  
  I don’t think it is because the Xbox Live tile is the same colour lime as the lime accent colour, and the Xbox Live tile looks different to the other tiles on the picture of the yellow phone.
- Anonymous
  
  I just tried the lime color. You are absoutely right! Good catch.
- Just Visiting
  
  It looks “neon limish”, but the official color, per Fujistu, is called Citrus. Citrus, Magenta, and Black.
http://www.andrew-stockdale.co.uk Andrew Stockdale

I’d suggest that these are ROM specific colours unique to the Fujitsu device and not baked in Mango colours. Given that both OEMs and MOs are allowed to add one accent each, if you were shipping gaudy coloured devices, wouldn’t you supply appropriate accents to match?
http://twitter.com/PhazonOverload Kevin Lewis

I developer unlocked my phone with Dreamspark. Not to make and test apps, no! To get the grey theme! I’ve had it for months!
- Kieran Kelly
  
  See if your a student do you get thats dreamspark thing free??
- Renzo
  
  I think all you really need is a .edu email address.
- http://twitter.com/PhazonOverload Kevin Lewis
  
  Either with a .edu email address, or – if your school as signed up for it – get a code and verify as a student/teacher that way.
- http://twitter.com/PhazonOverload Kevin Lewis
  
  Either with a .edu email address, or – if your school as signed up for it – get a code and verify as a student/teacher that way.
Guest

The hardware, imho, are pretty average.
Anonymous

what they need to do is allow apps to theme the phone any way they want. there are plenty of awesome designers far better than the MS in house guys which would provide amazing color schemes and icons to match.
http://www.facebook.com/ricardofso Ricardo Oliveira

Looks great! I would definitely replace the blue theme with this one.
http://www.facebook.com/ricardofso Ricardo Oliveira

Looks great! I would definitely replace the blue theme with this one.
http://twitter.com/bajanx bajanx

I love the gray theme. its the Hotness! Called it!
Anonymous

I don’t get why they don’t just allow for users to select custom colors. I’d like that a lot better than having them pick my color pallets for me.
- http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix
  
  I know! It’s stupid. They could at least give of that much customization freedom.
- http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix
  
  I know! It’s stupid. They could at least give of that much customization freedom.
- http://www.twitter.com/rurikbradbury Rurik Bradbury
  
  Maybe a gallery of choices, but full freedom? Then you’ll get a bunch of everyday users accidentally setting both text and background to white, and taking it to the store to complain…
- http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix
  
  Lmao. I’m sure people would do that. But they could make it so that the same color couldn’t be chosen for both elements.
Ub

While it is true that OEM’s can add a accent color, none of us can be sure that Mango doesn’t come with new theme colors until someone gets there hands on the final build of Mango. It would be great if the bumped up the number of color options.
Ub

While it is true that OEM’s can add a accent color, none of us can be sure that Mango doesn’t come with new theme colors until someone gets there hands on the final build of Mango. It would be great if the bumped up the number of color options.
Anonymous

It does not matter what colour it includes, it’s terrible.

Monotonous
Blocky
Overdone, long animations
Oversized Vogue text

Very feminine OS

$100 says Metro was designed by either a woman or a gay man. And since smartphones are mostly sold to males, that’s the reason it does not sell.

Just wait Windows 8 will be a sales failure too if it sticks with Metro as was shown.
- Anonymous
  
  “blocky” is feminine now? yeah you’re right…forget being innovative and original, they have made them look like fisher price toys like apple and android.
- http://twitter.com/paint99 Larry
  
  You have something against gay men or women as designers? I bet the furniture in your house, the UI on Win7 or Mac, the clothes you are wearing, etc. probably had a gay man or woman on the design team. And the reason it doesn’t sell is because there is a lack of awesome handsets and there isn’t much marketing; I hear that ads will pick up when Nokia announces their device.
- Anonymous
  
  I have nothing against women or gay men designers.
  
  But if they designed a feminine looking shirts and suits for males they would not sell right? It’s the same thing here.
  
  And the reason it does not sell is because it does not appeal to the target audience, not because of the handsets that there are plenty of.
  
  Put iOS or Android into Samsung Omnia 7 and watch it sell like hotcakes.
- http://www.twitter.com/rurikbradbury Rurik Bradbury
  
  Females buy a hell of a lot of smartphones too. Your argument is so offbase it’s bizarre.
- Anonymous
  
  Gay men design a lot of the clothes we wear, I can 100% guarantee you’re wearing one right now. So am I. The idea is, gay men know how to design from clothes to buildings to other projects.
  
  So, I would agree, windows phone 7 is a gay design and it sure is a sexy one.
- http://twitter.com/alexwilks88 Alex Wilks
  
  You think Android has a better UI and are putting women and homosexuals in the same taste basket? If you send me your address I’ll post you some scissors so you can cut your internet line off until you’ve done something useful like read a book.
- http://www.facebook.com/nicholas.coulter Nicholas Coulter
  
  BLOCKY IS NOT FEMININE! The Metro Design team probably did have women and gays on it, but that makes no difference. I get that you don’t like Windows Phone 7, but to say something so far from the truth just doesn’t make sense. A) Windows Phone 7 is only on eight phones here in the US B) Carrier store salespeople are still living in the world of Windows Mobile and are telling people to NOT get Windows Phone 7 C) While Microsoft spent more than half a billion, i repeat half a BILLION USD on marketing, so far, their attempts have been futile. take a look at the most highly rated phones on both Verizon and AT&T on both it’s the iPhone, then their Windows Phone offerings and then some Android POS. Oh and btw, the Android Omnia 7 is called the GALAXY S SERIES!
- http://www.facebook.com/nicholas.coulter Nicholas Coulter
  
  BLOCKY IS NOT FEMININE! The Metro Design team probably did have women and gays on it, but that makes no difference. I get that you don’t like Windows Phone 7, but to say something so far from the truth just doesn’t make sense. A) Windows Phone 7 is only on eight phones here in the US B) Carrier store salespeople are still living in the world of Windows Mobile and are telling people to NOT get Windows Phone 7 C) While Microsoft spent more than half a billion, i repeat half a BILLION USD on marketing, so far, their attempts have been futile. take a look at the most highly rated phones on both Verizon and AT&T on both it’s the iPhone, then their Windows Phone offerings and then some Android POS. Oh and btw, the Android Omnia 7 is called the GALAXY S SERIES!
- Anonymous
  
  Customer satisfaction ratings are irrelevant, only like 20 people own WP7 phones and they are most likely MS employees.
- Anonymous
  
  I’ve heard that Windows phone can incite homophobic reactions from a 13 year old, I guess they were right.
- Anonymous
  
  Very feminine comment
  $100 says this comment was written by either a woman or a gay man. And since blog comments are mostly read by males, that’s the reason it did not go over well.
- http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix
  
  I see what you did there. lol
  
  but I doubt this was written by a woman or gay man seeing as we (I’m gay) wouldn’t say something so derogatory about ourselves. News flash @Cod3rror:disqus , gay men are still males and just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you prefer feminem things over masculin things. If that was the case, we’d date women.
- http://www.twitter.com/wixostrix WixosTrix
  
  I see what you did there. lol
  
  but I doubt this was written by a woman or gay man seeing as we (I’m gay) wouldn’t say something so derogatory about ourselves. News flash @Cod3rror:disqus , gay men are still males and just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you prefer feminem things over masculin things. If that was the case, we’d date women.
- Anonymous
  
  spoken like a true 10yr old kid…first of all “overdone long animation” if u look it up in the dictionary there’s the little Android alien next to the definition…”over sized vogue text”?…would u have prefer small tiny can’t even be seen text?…and “Metro was designed by either a woman or a gay man”…WOW not even gon go there cuz is just stupid to even address that….and last would u have prefer for MS to make some laggy copy of IOS like Android is?…and get sued like everyone else is….learn this words Innovation and Differentiation…look em up KID…
- Anonymous
  
  Go away troll. All you do is post your little negative comments on any WP7 article. Makes you look lame for going so far out of your way just to say something bad about it all the time. We get it, you don’t like it, so go play with your Android phone and have fun with it and leave others to have their own opinions on what they like. You sound like an 8 year old kid who always has to claim everything you have or like is better than your friends.
- Anonymous
  
  Go away troll. All you do is post your little negative comments on any WP7 article. Makes you look lame for going so far out of your way just to say something bad about it all the time. We get it, you don’t like it, so go play with your Android phone and have fun with it and leave others to have their own opinions on what they like. You sound like an 8 year old kid who always has to claim everything you have or like is better than your friends.
Anonymous

It does not matter what colour it includes, it’s terrible.

Monotonous
Blocky
Overdone, long animations
Oversized Vogue text

Very feminine OS

$100 says Metro was designed by either a woman or a gay man. And since smartphones are mostly sold to males, that’s the reason it does not sell.

Just wait Windows 8 will be a sales failure too if it sticks with Metro as was shown.
J A

I think, besides the color themes on the phone itself, they can actually add an unlimited amount of color themes to WP by letting users simply enter the hexadecimal color code for the color they desire and WP should match it with a color list in the cloud or on the phone itself. Example color codes are here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_colors
http://www.appatic.com Avatar X

I hope so. I have never liked that you have unlock the phone to have custom colors accents and live backgrounds.The way the gray is in the photo, is exactly way i have it in my HD2.
brammes

I really like the whole WP7 concept and UI but that home screen, no,sorry, they should have really really change that with the Mango update ..
Windows Phone FTW!

I want more accent colors, at least a yellow one! ;)
Nnob89

wow.. does Fujitsu-Toshiba have plans to release their products at Philippines? it’s so nice and chic… I want to be one of the product reviewer… Hopefully. =(