If the delays to updates for Windows Phone 7 ultimately prove to be carrier related, then Microsoft is likely to end up with a large portion of egg on its face.

The platform's first major refresh – 'NoDo' – was due to quickly follow on from its first, smaller update, now billed by many as something of a sighter for Microsoft.

The problem is, many users are yet to receive that initial update – some Samsung owners suffering the consequences if they did make the leap – and NoDo itself, which was expected to roll out on March 8, is nowhere to be seen.

Rolling release

The latest news on its launch comes via Microsoft's Windows Phone developer blog in France, which claims NoDo – which was reportedly originally called the 'January Update' internally – will now hit handsets in the second half of March.

ZDNet goes even further, suggesting March 21 is the update's new launch date, though Microsoft itself is yet to commit to a specific day, telling the site it is simply "looking into" the NoDo situation.

Said update is the one most Windows Phone 7 owners have been waiting for, given it brings features such as copy and paste. However, it could well be that Microsoft's open nature regarding each update's release is to be its undoing.

Carrier car crash

While Android owners are now used to having to stick with whatever version of the firmware their handset ships with, Microsoft had claimed that updates would be rolled out to each and every WP7 user with little fuss, regardless of any carrier opposition.

According to terms and conditions, operators can only delay one update in a row. Any they do hold back then have to be delivered to users whenever the next update is made available.

If, however, the process has broken down and NoDo has been delayed – potentially by three months or more – because of a block by carriers, then Microsoft's plans to launch several updates throughout 2011 may have to be revised.

[source: ZDNet]