Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on its work to require Windows Phone 7.5 to buy, download, or update apps from the Marketplace. The company previously warned in April that users would need to upgrade to Windows Phone 7.5 or face a life without new or updated apps, but it's reminding users again this week that the Marketplace changes are nearing. There's no exact date on when the Marketplace will be restricted to Windows Phone 7.5, but Microsoft says it will remind everyone again on the day the requirement begins.

"A handful of folks" haven't upgraded yet according to Microsoft, but judging by handful of the comments on Microsoft's latest blog post some might be holding off due to the disappearing keyboard bug. "This disappearing keyboard issue is ridiculous," says one commenter, while others note AT&T has been slow to rollout new fixes. Microsoft started distributing a new update to some Windows Phone devices in January to address an issue where the on screen keyboard randomly disappears — most AT&T Windows Phone users have not yet received the update. We'll be sure to remind you when the Windows Phone Marketplace restrictions come into effect, but if you're still running version 7.0 then it might be worth upgrading now to ensure you get the latest app updates in future.