Will Nokia Show Mango Phone On Aug. 17?

The big update for Windows Phone 7, called Mango, is done and has been rushed off to manufacturers, including Nokia. Nokia is going to release its first Windows Phone 7 device later this year using the most recent Windows Phone build. Mango is considered to be a big improvement over the current NoDo version in the market today. We could have our first glance at a real device in two weeks.

In June we saw the Nokia Sea Ray device, which is a modified N9 running Windows Phone 7. The speculation is this will be the first device, but it could have also just been a test run to try out the code and work out the bugs with Nokia's hardware as it gets mated to the Mango code.

And we may get a hint of the results at an event sponsored by Nokia and Microsoft in Germany on August 17. According to FierceWireless, the event will be targeted at developers. It will be the first major joint event by the companies and will help developers that have worked with one or the other to get comfortable with how both companies work. The Marketplace that sells Windows Phone 7 apps is doing well. With over 25,000 apps in it, it has grown faster than either of the stores for iOS apps or Android apps, but starting two years after the completion puts the store in a distant third.

Microsoft and Nokia need to pack even more apps into the store. Today when you see a "best of" list of apps on various websites or in magazines, most of the time the apps are for iOS and Android. Blackberry is mentioned with some regularity but Windows Phone is usually missing in action. That kind of reporting is basically saying the platform is a non-issue. The two companies need to woo the developers of those popular apps and get the Windows Phone 7 logo listed next to the major players, and this event should give us an idea of how they plan to accelerate app development.

No phones will be launched at the event, but it is hoped a real device, Sea Ray or otherwise, will make an appearance. Stay tuned.