They good news: Microsoft is loosening its strict spec standards to push some highly affordable Windows Phones to the market. The bad news? Those phones are going to be gimpy little crud boxes. But hey, that's compromise.

Have you been curious about Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango)? Maybe you want to try it out without standing around in some store? Microsoft just made it easy to do exactly that on your iOS or Android phone. No installations required.

A month after Windows Phone 7.5 began shipping, Microsoft announced today that it is now pushing the Mango update to every eligible phone worldwide, regardless of carrier—with only three exceptions.

Windows Phone 7 is one of our favorite mobile platforms, and the Mango update brings some core functionality that was missing in the original release. With all of the new features and tools, there is a minor learning curve, but this list of tips will get you using Mango like a pro in no time. We'll go through many of…

We know about the impending SeaRay, set to debut next week—but has a new Finnish challenger appeared? PocketNow says this photo shows the Nokia "Sabre." So what's the Sabre?

RIM and Apple are having a bad day and it's only getting worse. Not only are their servers still misbehaving, their competition is giving away free phones to users who are upset with these service disruptions.

iOS 5 dropped today, which is fantastic, I guess—if you own an iPhone. However, if you're like me and, well, don't but still want the same bells and whistles on your phone, might I suggest the following?

The Windows Phone 7.5 update finally let third party apps work in the background. Rdio, now in 3.0 and our favorite music player app on Windows Phone not named Zune, has taken full advantage: it can stream music in the background now. WOOHOO.

The iPhone 4S is a nice phone. But most people think it's a disappointment. After all, it comes in last years' skin, and its guts aren't radically amazing. It's nothing special. And that means it's Microsoft's chance to counterattack.

So you're not one of the lucky 10 percent who are getting the official Mango update today. Fear not! You can actually force the update that Microsoft is so afraid will brick your phone or bring about the fall of mankind.

"Windows Phone Seven Point Five." It's somehow mind numbing and yet not totally unexpected that chunky string of syllables is how you say the name of the new Windows Phone. Mind numbing, because it's the antithesis of what Microsoft has ultimately built, and not totally unexpected, because we're still talking about…

It's already a big day for Windows Phone with Mango due out today. And now the web version of its app marketplace is live, giving the platform a way to browse and find apps outside of the Zune client.

So it begins. After rumors of a release coming as soon as this week, Microsoft has just about confirmed them. This Tuesday, AT&T customers with the HTC Surround, LG Quantum, and Samsung Focus will get a fresh Mango update.

Mango, you sweet juicy OS update you. We can't wait to taste you. When are you going to come to Windows Phone? According to Microsoft, we can expect Mango to start rolling out "in the next week or two"

Right alongside the churnings of the old rumor mill, AT&T is ready to push out 3 new 4G Windows Phone Mango phones, namely the massive HTC Titan, the Samsung Focus S, and the Samsung Focus Flash.

Windows Phone 7.5, better known as Mango, could possibly-maybe-there's-a-chance be out September 15th, according to the latest round of rumors.

When you're preparing for a not quite make or break but still enormously important launch (hi, Mango!), you want your sales staff on their feet. So when Microsoft's secret shopper snoop squad discovered totally clueless employees, they scrambled. Hard.

HTC has done the unthinkable and created a massive phone named Titan. It weighs over a third of a pound, has a gigantic 4.7-inch screen (Christ...), has a 1.5 Ghz processor of some sort, and, yeah, is huge. Bonus: Mango!

Enough Apple talk! Let's move on to a more tropical fruit. WP7 Mango is coming very soon, and more and more goodies are being revealed. Skype video? Wi-Fi hotspot? Delicious!