Do you want the skinny on Windows Phone 'Mango' development tools? (video)

The sad reality is this: Public relations people outnumber journalists, and companies like Microsoft resort to giving more access to PR staff than they do us. Why not, particularly for interviews? The internal company interviewer takes full control of the messaging and keeps it on point. I don't like the approach, but that doesn't mean every interview is devoid of value.

The one above is good example, where Microsoft's Brandon Watson interviews Microsoft's Andrew Clinick about Mango development tools from a platform perspective. The video is one of a series. Also available: Mango development tools related to search and communications.

Yesterday, Microsoft made Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" beta development tools available for download. There's some confusion about nomenclature. The tools are labeled 7.1 but earlier this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer referred to next Windows Phone version as 7.5.

Microsoft more formally introduced Mango, yesterday, during a New York event. Acer and ZTE are among the new hardware partners. Meanwhile, Microsoft is wooing developers, as it seeks to increase the number of Windows Phone apps -- now 18,000 from zero at launch seven months ago.

Are you a Windows Phone 7 developer? Could you share your experiences in comments -- or better I'd love to let your write a story for Betanews. Please email joe at betanews dot com.