Windows Phone Tango designed for low-priced handsets?

By Tom Warren, on 9th Aug 11 4:49 pm with 22 Comments

Further details of Microsoft’s rumored Windows Phone “Tango” update surfaced on Tuesday.

Tango is believed to be an interim release between Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” and the next-generation of Windows Phone, currently codenamed “Apollo.” Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet reports that the update could be aimed at low-price Windows Phone handsets. There is reportedly two versions of Tango scheduled for release before Windows Phone “Apollo” is ready. Tango is allegedly designed with Nokia in mind and focused on lowering the price point for entry Windows Phone handsets.

Foley claims that Tango could be targeted at the Asian market. The report backs up recent news around Tango. Windows Phone build 7.10.8200 was recently discovered in server side logs of a Windows Phone application. A screenshot, believed to be a Tango build, also leaked last week and demonstrated a new device search feature for Windows Phones.

Microsoft recently finalised Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” and is expected to ship the update in September alongside a number of new Windows Phone 7.5 devices.

  • Mister Twister

    If they could get a low end windows phone that doesn’t need a data plan it will dominate the low end market! I know alot of people who can’t afford a data plan, but want a great phone like WP7. The only problem is AT&T, and the other lazy carriers here in the USA.

    • Anonymous

      Completely agree.  Just think about apps sales if you tapped into that market.

    • Anonymous

      The only clue I have to why this doesnt exist is what you insinuate, the carriers. Making a phone like that would block them from tacking on the expensive data plans on the devices. The price of the handset doesn’t matter anymore with all the subsidy: smartphones cost as much as feature phones at initial purchase, so the argument of a premium price tag is thrown out. Problem is with people is they only look at what is happening now, instead of later on. 15$ extra a month is adding like 180$ a year on top of the voice plan already. I’d love to upgrade my handset to a much more modern phone if I could just opt out of that pesky data plan. I don’t even understand why it’s even an “option” to add, since it’s pretty much mandatory to get it for any phone these days…

    • NativeFloridian

      It exists already… sort of.  I have the KinOne(m) which is a feature phone with many of the same features of its older and more mature brother (WP7) including active tiles.  The (m) versions were stripped down for feature phones (no constant connectivity, no cloud access) and would likely serve as a model for the changes WP7 would need to make to qualify for a feature phone.  But I fully agree with you, they need to develop an operating system for feature phones that is well promoted.  If only they could design the new ‘RAZR’ with Nokia with WP7 lite on it.  I think that getting people familiar with the basics of the OS may be MS’s best strategy to increase WP7 adoption rates.

  • http://twitter.com/abhi1manyu Abhimanyu Jamwal

    may be they can launch a low end version w/o skydrive or office built in…less integrated with fb, lower spec sheet and a more simpler layout(tiles but less net connectivity)

    • Anonymous

      That would kinda suck.

    • Joe

      That would really suck…. I think what they mean is to further optimize the software for use on current hardware, so they can install the same software on a cheaper set of hardware and have the same experience.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1724462076 Tim Mariner

      You forget, Microsoft has to think of its Carrier and phone manufacturing partners.  The higher the phone cost, the more profit there is.  If MS/carriers/phone manufacturers were to put the exact same OS on lower end phones with the exact same experience, they would cannibalize sales of the more profitable higher end phones.

      The whole purpose for lower end phones is to lure people over from the low-cost feature phone market.  But you can’t give away all the goods at the low end of the market.  Once you lure them over, you have to incentivize them to move up to higher-end phones–gaining additional functionality with higher-end phones would be that incentive.

  • Anonymous

    They could actually sell devices with the current wp7 devices spec sheets for a much lower prices next year

  • http://twitter.com/theloz Loz Lowe

    Why’s everyone calling this update ‘Tango’? Nowhere has that been confirmed!

    • Anonymous

      Cause, unknown ‘Tango’ has been spotted in the area!

  • Anonymous

    They need to avoid the low end market, in my opinion. The last thing that they want to do is give the public the impression that it is a cheap/crap OS. Then again, that may be why the PM is leaving.

    If they do this then I’ll just stick to the iphone line.

    Besides, $50 for smartphones (see AT&T pricing) is pretty much bottom of the barrel as is. What they need to do is focus on getting high-end hardware onto the market rather than going the wrong way.

    • Anonymous

      look at the pc market : windows has been so successful because it covers all the market, from bottom to top. low and end.
      so I think it may be a good strategy for WP too.

    • http://www.facebook.com/todor.tsvetkov Todor Tsvetkov

      Well don’t know about you… but in Germany for example Samsung Omnia 7 16GB costs 200euro contact free, LG Optimus 7 – 175euro… that’s pretty low price for a device.

      And no body will be confused because when some one even touches an WP device … it’ll be impressed with speeds and it’s stability, everyone are.  

  • http://twitter.com/oolong2 oolong2

    Is this something that Nokia is pushing for to replace Symbian?

    • http://www.facebook.com/todor.tsvetkov Todor Tsvetkov

      Kinda …

  • http://twitter.com/oolong2 oolong2

    Is this something that Nokia is pushing for to replace Symbian?

  • Entegy

    This is a bad idea. This will cause more confusion on an already confusing brand. Keep it at one version on all handsets. It would be bad for consumers who would get confused over what features their phones have.

    Keep it Apple simple. An iPhone gets all iPhone features, except in the few cases when upgrading to a new major version.

    • http://www.facebook.com/todor.tsvetkov Todor Tsvetkov

      So… Lower end device will have the same features as High end. MS said that the OS is running great on 800Mhz processors (witch will be the low end…), so no problems there. :)

  • Zixingdeng

    Tango will have 2 versions – Tango 1 is for China market. no Xbox Live, supporting WAPI standards, lowered price.

  • Zixingdeng

    Tango will have 2 versions – Tango 1 is for China market. no Xbox Live, supporting WAPI standards, lowered price.

  • ektor

    I love my FOCUS and I do not have a data plan. I use it over wi-fi sometimes. I like the touch interface of WP7 and how easy to send text messages. So phones with a lower price (no data plans needed) but all the nice features of a sleek touch interface like WP7 could be a hit with non geek mainstream users that just need to make calls and text using prepaid or low price calling plans.