Microsoft’s Windows Phone team seems to have switched to a “shut up and ship” mode after getting a lot of heat with past announcements and promises that did not pan out, or were too far away from actual releases.

However, Windows Phone executive Joe Belfiore, in a series of tweets has done quite the opposite. He has promised some updates that fix some issues, and also some new features. Now, of course he would be doing this only because he is sure of those things happening, but the fact that he said it without giving a timeframe, means he is not sticking to shutting up and shipping.

First, a tease about some apparently important apps that he is using which are going to be made available to the public soon. This came after WhatsApp and Twitter announced new versions of their apps, catering to Windows Phone 8.

Then, Belfiore responds to another person and talks about Skype’s integration with People Hub that requires an app update from Skype. Again, naturally, he did not reveal when it would be happening.

Joe Belfiore Skype integration in People Hub

Later he goes on to address the issue with “Other” category on Windows Phone occupying an unreasonably large space on the on-device storage. Belfiore says it is being addressed and will be improved in upcoming updates. He also suggests a workaround, although to be honest, that workaround is removal of a key functionality which is auto-uploading pictures (and videos) to SkyDrive.

Joe Belfiore “Other” storage issue

Finally, Belfiore responds to yet another customer about the issue facing Windows Phone 7.8 devices where some or all live tiles fail to update. He says they have identified an issue and are working on a fix.

Joe Belfiore Live Tile issue

These tweets are actually quite welcome to Windows Phone customers, especially the enthusiasts who crave information of any kind about future releases. With the team going largely on mute, such mini updates are definitely welcome.