Windows Phone update hits the airwaves

Microsoft is rolling out another Windows Phone update to fix a number of bugs and glitches in its mobile OS.

The latest update, Windows Phone version 7.10.8107.79, includes patches for a variety of issues, including an annoying one that sometimes caused the on-screen keyboard to disappear while users were typing a message.

In addition, Windows Phone had been automatically sending user information to nearby WiFi hotspots. This update makes it so this only happens if users specifically opt in to this service.

There is also a minor update to e-mail functionality, which, among other things, fixes the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 functionality so that when replying to a message, the original message no longer disappears.

A total of six different issues were patched; the others were largely technical in nature and dealt with digital certificates and encryption issues.

This update comes as Windows Phone could be heading to its biggest and most important move yet – the introduction of Nokia handsets. The first in this group, the T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 710, is due out in the US this week, for the mass market friendly price of $100 after a 2-year contract subsidy. Users can also send away for a $50 mail-in rebate, making the final effective price just $50, a far cry from the uneasy new trend of $300 smartphones on carriers like Verizon.