By now you know the grilling that Microsoft has had over adding features to Windows Phone 7.  Users have been asking for multitasking, cut and paste, and multitasking.  Did I say multitasking twice?  Well, users have been asking for it A LOT!

Actually, it isn’t just users that are looking for these features.  Many would-be Windows Phone initiates have said the reasons they have not jumped over include those above (I’m going to try to avoid saying ‘multitasking’ again).  While the slick Metro UI has been well accepted some feel the platform is too limited in function to make them consider Windows Phone over competing smartphones.

Well, Windows Phone is throwing a party this year and everyone is invited!  There will be cake AND pie, cut & paste, faster loading of apps, twitter integration, and...err...multiple tasking (that was close!).  The ‘January’ party should be in March and another, larger party will come sometime later in the year.  Sounds like a fun time but it is enough to get you to jump on board?

After hearing about the updates and new features I got excited for Windows Phone all over again with my two favourites being multitasking (I gave up) and twitter integration.  The only problem is that both of these will come later in the year, which just sounds so far away!  In phone years that’s a long time for my LG Quantum to wait.  Hey, I’m glad it’s coming but I am not a patient guy!

Update One

The first update is to add cut & paste and will speed up app loading; both welcome additions to the OS.  I’m hoping there are a few other new features over which to celebrate but it doesn’t sound like it.  It’ll be interesting to see how much app loading increases and if that will make Windows Phone truly a glance-and-go OS.

Update Two

Twitter integration in the people hub is on it’s way.  Like many others I felt this should have been there from the start.  Why was there so much focus on integrating facebook but NONE on twitter?  It almost seemed like a pointed snubbing of the massively popular service. Either way, it will be nice to see it integrated into the people hub but will that be the twitter experience people are looking for?  We won’t know the answer to that ‘till later in the year.  See?!  Sounds so far away, doesn’t it?

The bigger news is multitasking.  Now, let’s not get too hung up on definitions here.  This probably won’t actually be multitasking per se; not like we have on desktop computers...and WebOS...and Android.  This will most likely be more like Apple’s version of multitasking, which is more about keeping app components running in the background, not the full app.  It’s probably the best way to strike a balance between function and battery life but it will be interesting to see how Microsoft handles it.

For those that have been waiting for these features it’ll be a great year for Windows Phone but this is still just about “catching up”.  Other mobile OS’s will be adding new features and capabilities all year long as well.  Will these planned Windows Phone features be enough to get you to join Ballmer’s party?

Image via PPCGeeks