During Mobile World Congress, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer detailed the next wave of updates slated for Windows Phone 7. Starting in March with specific availability determined by carrier, Microsoft will roll out the long awaited copy/paste functionality along with CDMA support, with those devices launching in the first half of the year.
Other major updates for the year include limited background multi-tasking which will allow apps to play sound in the background and allow for fast switching with support for resuming from the last point before exiting. An updated browser with the Internet Explorer 9 rendering engine will also be included with support for hardware graphics acceleration and an improved interface. The Office Hub will also gain access to documents on SkyDrive in addition to SharePoint access. The updates are slated for late 2011.
Finally, in a proof of concept for multiplayer gaming, Windows Phone 7 to Kinect multiplayer gaming was tested with two Windows Phone 7 handsets acting as one side in a game of dodgeball throwing the ball, while the home user with Kinect was acting as the target looking to dodge the ball, with no word on when or if the functionality would be implemented.
