It seems that Microsoft is preparing a web-based Windows Phone 7 Marketplace that will be launched along with the upcoming Mango update. This news comes close at the heels of the announcement of the Marketplace reaching 17,000 apps.

Web-Based Marketplace for WinPho To Debut With Mango

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 app purchase experience will soon be at par with its two main rivals — Apple’s iOS and Google’ Android — thanks to the fact that they are planning to launch a web-based marketplace for the WP7.

You can both browse and buy the apps online from your desktop browser and the installation will happen via SMS or email. It remains to be seen how exactly that works but it is a feature that has been missing from Microsoft’s arsenal that will finally be put in place.

With a web-based browsing and buying experience, social elements can’t be far behind. Social network tie-ins will allow users to share apps with friends and possibly endorse them socially in some ways, it is not clear at the moment. The Maketplace will retain a purchase history for each individual, so reinstalling apps should be a breeze.

Mango Coming Up With Major New Features

With Mango, the upcoming Windows Phone 7 update, Microsoft is adding a lot of new and useful features. Out of the many things new that Mango will have, multitasking deserves a special mention.

It looks like Mango will be adopting similar app state freezing techniques used by iOS and Android. By pressing and holding the ‘Back’ button, the user can switch between apps without draining too much battery.

Other noteworthy features will include a contact grouping feature for Live Tiles. And contacts will now have Twitter and Facebook integrated into them. Conversation threads will also be available, along with the grouping of text, facebook and twitter conversations in one thread.

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