There has been a lot of information circulating the web over the last 24 hours about what Microsoft will be releasing this week. Neowin reported that a beta of Mango would be shipped out this week after receiving several tips from various sources.
It was also reported by Winrumors last week that developer devices would ship out this week, but according to Brandon Watson, Senior Director of Windows Phone 7 development at Microsoft, neither of these two bits of information are true. Watson states that this week is only for press reviews of Mango: “No developer devices this week either. This week is for press reviews. Focus on consumer features. Enjoy the sweetness of Mango.”
The information that Watson is stating is that this week is for the press reviews only. There will be nothing announced or released for developers according to his tweets. The focus, at this point, is on the consumers, developers will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on the new platform.
While it could be a miscommunication at Microsoft about what is actually being released, Brandon Watson is in a position that he would know the path for the Mango deployment. As with any rumor, nothing is confirmed until Microsoft sends out an official press release and even that, is subject to change at any time.