When it comes to smartphones, can Mango compete with Apple?   I’m Fred Fishkin with technology BootCamp, a report on gadgets and gear.    Mango is the code name for the upcoming update to Microsoft’s Windows Phone devices.   It adds 500 new features….that Microsoft hopes will help it catch up to Apple and Google in the smartphone business.    Katy Asher is a director with the mobile communications business at Microsoft…and she says among the new capabilities…

“First is a new feature that we call threads, which is the ability to switch between text, Facebook chat and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.  And the phone is actually smart enough to know whether or not the contact you want to talk to is online, in which case it might suggest that you send an IM.  And if they’re offline, it will suggest you send a text.   And the great thing is you can see that history of communication all in one view. “

That and more features are due to arrive in the fall, first on new handsets from Nokia.   You can find us at BootCamp.com.   I’m Fred Fishkin.