Microsoft Mango

News BY MATT HARTLEY, POSTMEDIA NEWS (http://www.ottawacitizen.com)

Microsoft Corp.'s quest to reassert itself in the smartphone industry entered its next phase on Tuesday with the release of "Mango," the latest iteration of the company's flagship Windows Phone software.

Microsoft is adding 500 new features to its Windows Phone 7 software, which first launched in November. The "Mango" version of Windows Phone 7 will be available later this fall.

It said several new smartphone manufacturers, in-cluding Acer Inc., Fujitsu Ltd. and ZTE Corp., would begin building Windows Phone devices. Joining a list of existing manufacturers that includes LG, Samsung Electronics Ltd. and HTC Corp.

For Microsoft, Windows Phone has given the world's most powerful software company a strong foothold in the mobile device industry as it seeks to counter the dominance of Apple Inc.'s iPhone, Google Inc.'s Android platform and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices.