You might think it"s a bit odd that Microsoft would offer up software that would allow Windows Phone 7-based smartphones to sync up to a Mac. But that"s exactly what the Windows Phone 7 Connector is designed to do. This week, Microsoft released the 2.0 version of the software via Apple"s iTunes store. The update not only works with smartphones with the current version of Windows Phone 7, but also for the upcoming 7.5 version, otherwise known as the Mango update. The software also works with the Zune HD media player.
The Windows Phone 7 Connector lets users transfer media files from the Mac to the WP7 smartphone, and also allows for any photos and videos made with the smartphone to be transferred over to the Mac. The new features in the 2.0 version include adding support for the Windows Phone Marketplace and transfers of ringtones, although some features can only be used with devices running the Mango update. There"s also been some improvements for the software"s video conversion process, the addition of drag and drop importing of files via Browse Device, over 13 more languages added and more.
The fact that Microsoft has released a new Windows Phone 7 Connector for the Mac at this time likely means that the Mango update itself is getting close to going live. it could also mean that the launches of the first Windows Phone 7.5 based smartphones are not too far in the future. In fact we could see some official announcements concerning new Windows Phone 7 smartphones later this week.