Windows Phone recently updated to 7.5 with lots of great new features! The Windows Phones are still packed with features from XBOX Live, Start screen and pins, Office capabilities and Zune for music and videos. But now, their capabilities have taken another huge step forward!

Here is their top 10 newly available features:

1. People Hub – View updates from Twitter and LinkedIn, in addition to Facebook, and pick the accounts to show up in your contact list.
2. Groups – Organize your friends into groups to pin them to your start menu and easily text, email or IM the whole group at once.
3. Threads – Start with a text and finish in Facebook chat or Messenger chat.
4. Internet Explorer Mobile – The only phone with Internet Explorer Mobile plus hardware acceleration!
5. Multitasking – Play music in the background and quickly switch between apps.
6. Custom ringtones – Create or download your own tune.
7. Marketplace now on the web – Relax and explore over 30,000 apps and games from the comfort of your PC or on the go with your phone.
8. Better email – Link any inboxes you’d like to get your email in one spot. And conversation view makes it easy to stay on top of it all.
9. Voice to text – Now you can use speech to respond to text messages.
10. Local Scout by Bing – Live like a local wherever you are. Get recommendations for things to do, places to eat, and where to shop.

We received a Samsung Focus Flash to review and took our Windows Phone along with us on our recent trip to San Francisco. We found it so easy to find locations and navigate the included maps to find our way around walking the busy San Francisco districts. Plus, it was simple to snaps some pictures of our trip and even upload them right to Facebook to share with our friends real-time updates! I love being able to stay on top of my work and personal emails while out and about so I don’t have to worry that I’m missing something important and it is simple to respond and check emails with a linked inbox.

Windows Phone has several phone options available but one of their really great phones that is offered at a very affordable price point is the Samsung Focus! It retails for just $49.99 through AT&T with a 2-year contract. The Focus comes with a 4″ Super AMOLED WVGA screen and audience noise reduction for crystal clear calls. Plus, it is equipped with a 1 GHz processor and a 5MP camera. Samsung Focus can also be purchased through Amazon, Costco, Best Buy or Walmart. Prices will vary by retailer and service provider.

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Disclosure: I received a Samsung Focus Flash in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other manner. The opinions expressed above are my own and any claims should be verified on the sponsor’s site.