Many Windows Phone enthusiasts had hoped for a Windows Phone 7.8 Mango-like simultaneous roll-out for the much smaller Tango (8773) update. Microsoft, of course, went a completely different route with the Windows Phone Summit, announcing the new Windows Phone 7.8 update for current handsets. Some devices, like the Nokia Lumia 710 and 800, will receive Tango in the very near future (possibly as early as this week), but it looks like the Lumia 900 won’t get it at all, thanks to its notable absence from the update chart. Furthermore, Nokia has publically stated that the update will only be released for the Lumia 710 and 800.

The Lumia 900, of course, already has a few Tango features like tethering. In fact, there’s a good chance you already have Tango installed, provided you’re not on AT&T or Rogers. The Lumia 710 and 800, on the other hand, have none of these features. Wireless carriers aren’t required to deliver updates right away, but they are required to include them in future updates. So while you might have to wait a few extra months, your shiny new Lumia 900 will receive Tango features like the messaging improvements. It’ll just be delivered in a bundle with the Windows Phone 7.8 update, rather than as a standalone one.

Microsoft hasn’t specified when the Windows Phone 7.8 update will be released. It could be in the very near future, as some have speculated, or it could be as far off as the release of Windows Phone 8 later this fall. Thankfully, waiting for Tango’s features and bug fixes shouldn’t be too difficult. Especially when we have a new Start screen experience to look forward to.

Thanks for the heads up, Patrick Hefner!

[Nokia]