Windows Phone 7.5 Mango hands on review

Bing Vision is an interesting addition that uses the camera to scan QR codes, but the most impressive feature is the ability to take a picture of text and translate it into another language pretty much instantly. It works with English, French, Italian, German and Spanish text at present, but support for other languages is expected soon.

Local Scout, meanwhile, acts as a tour guide, automatically bringing up places of interest based on the handset's location. It recommends restaurants, places to shop and entertainment activities within a 25-mile radius, which could be a nifty tool for business users who make frequent trips abroad.

Importantly, a Battery Saver feature has also been added, which allows users to squeeze juice out of the device by turning off non-essential services. Users can also see exactly how much time is remaining - we were told that 12 per cent will yield around four hours of battery when the battery saver is turned on.

Missing features
As mentioned, Adobe Flash is not included and existing Windows Phone users will have to wait to use their device as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

However, other missing features include the ability to connect to a VPN, which will be essential for many business users. Skype has yet to be integrated in the platform, but Microsoft has said that an app will be coming soon. The inability to add input methods such as Swype, use the home screen in landscape mode and support front-facing cameras are not major omissions, but will irritate some people.

Overall
The Mango update is a major step in the right direction, boasting some much needed functionality such as multi-tasking, Wi-Fi, HTML5 and threaded conversation support. We particularly like the inclusion of Local Scout and Bing Vision.

Social networking integration is already a strength of Windows Phone, together with support for Outlook and Office. However, the Wi-Fi hotspot functionality needs to be sorted out quickly, and we were disappointed at the lack of Flash.

Mango is still not as well rounded as iOS and Android but, if Microsoft can continue adding core features, there is a chance that Windows Phone can continue to gain momentum and attract buyers.