Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has delayed until the end of March the rollout of its first major Windows Phone 7 update that features a cut-and-paste capability.

The move comes after Microsoft experienced an embarrassing software problem in February. The update was supposed to enhance the operating system's firmware to enable devices to receive future updates more efficiently. But this minor update caused some Samsung phones to freeze up.

Microsoft claims that approximately 10 percent of WP7 users experienced problems. Of those, about half didn't have enough bandwidth or storage space to receive the update, which required a USB connection to a computer. The update was resumed several days later.

"We have the next update waiting in the wings. It delivers copy and paste, better Marketplace search, and other key improvements," wrote Eric Huatala, who is in charge of the updates team, on the company's blog. "But I believe it's important that we learn all we can from the February update. So I've decided to take some extra time to ensure the update process meets our standards, your standards, and the standards of our partners. As a result, our plan is to start delivering the copy-and-paste update in the latter half of March."

For more:
- see this Newsfactor article

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