Microsoft Resumes Windows Phone 7 Updates For Samsung Phones

Microsoft developers "pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing a small percentage of Windows phones from installing the February software patch," said Michael Stroh, a technology writer in Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 team, in a blog posted late Wednesday.

Stroh did not provide specifics about the problem, which caused Samsung Omnia 7 and Focus smartphones to become inoperable or "bricked" after Microsoft began installing the Windows Phone 7 update Feb. 21. Last week Stroh attributed at least part of the problem to Samsung phone owners who had a bad Internet connection or insufficient computer storage space.

"We apologize again for the delay and continue looking for ways to improve the update process," Stroh said in his blog.

Microsoft has continued to provide the Windows Phone 7 update for other smartphones that use the mobile operating system.

The Windows Phone 7 glitch is another bump in the road for Microsoft's efforts to get back into the competitive market for mobile software. Since the product's release in October Microsoft has been forcefully marketing Windows Phone 7 as it tries to catch up with Apple's iPhone and Google's Android mobile OS. Microsoft recently said it has shipped 2 million copies of Windows Phone 7.

Last month Microsoft and Nokia established a broad alliance under which Nokia will develop a line of smartphones incorporating Windows Phone 7.