If you own a device running Windows Phone below version 7.5 (Mango), we have bad news for you. Microsoft announced that it would no longer be making its Windows Phone Marketplace available for devices running versions of its mobile operating system below Mango.
On the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft announced that it would be making two changes to the Windows Marketplace. The first was no longer giving access to apps via its desktop Zune software with the exception of the Zune HD MP3 player. The second involves the Mango version of Windows Phone, which run devices such as the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 900. Microsoft announced the devices that did not run at least Mango would no longer be able to download apps. These devices would only be allowed to browse the internet.
The news may sound bad, but the reality is most Windows Phones in the market run or can be update to Mango. To check, all you have to do is go to settings and then phone update. If an update is available, connect your phone to your computer via Zune then follow the instructions given.
Microsoft has a reason for announcing these changes. According to the software giant, Windows Phone Mango “is part of a larger effort aimed at improving Marketplace performance and security, and paving the way for even faster growth and more new features”.
This push to get every device running Mango could mean that Windows Phone 8 will be rolling out to all devices. Although this information should be taken with a pinch of salt, it is a possibility.
