When can I upgrade my HTC Trophy smartphone to Mango?

Q  I bought an HTC Trophy mobile phone last year, partly because I was keen to try the Windows Phone 7 operating system and partly because Vodafone offered me a very good deal.

As it happens, I have enjoyed using Windows Phone and have become quite a fan but I’m confused about how to upgrade to the latest version – Windows Phone 7.5, or Mango as I believe it’s also known.

I keep seeing it mentioned, so I know it’s out, but I have no idea how to update my Trophy. Can you help?
David Thrower

A  In the first instance it is obviously Microsoft that is responsible for issuing updates to its Windows Phone operating system. However, beyond that the availability of said updates depends partly on handset manufacturers and partly on local mobile phone networks.

In other words, while Microsoft may announce an update to Windows Phone – such as Mango – it won’t be available to all phone users in all countries at the same time.

In fact, Windows Phone 7.5 (or Mango) became available in the UK on Vodafone at the tail end of last year, so we predict that by now you will have received a message on your handset stating than an update is available.

If you followed its advice, you will have launched Zune (Microsoft’s media–management and phone–synchronisation application) and followed the prompts to download Windows Phone 7.5 before attaching your Trophy via USB to install it – but if not, that’s essentially what you need to do.

Finally, when you have updated, do not be confused if your handset reports an operating system version number that appears to be earlier than 7.5. For reasons best known to Microsoft, the technical version number of Windows Phone 7.5 is actually 7.10.7720 – so you may see both displayed in the phone’s About page.

To be clear, version 7.10.7720 is indeed 7.5 Mango (and no, we don’t understand Microsoft’s logic either).