Due to be released in January 2010 with the Samsung Jackie being the first device to get it, WM6.5.1 is a huge change in the UI from current builds. Essentially, the whole UI has been revamped, with more finger friendly versions of everything, and even new controls.

The AT&T TP2 and D2 will also get updates to WM6.5.1, so presumably other Topaz/Rhodium devices should be updated as well, and even if HTC don't release it, XDA-Devs will!

Other changes in 6.5.1 include OS based AGPS, in which the OS triangulates the devices position rather than anything else. WM6.5.1 is also being built on CE5.2 and CE6, so may need new bootloaders...

The latest builds from Da_G and others (21925 and 21928) include some of the new UI components.

This is great news..... Its almost like Microsoft are waking up to the idea that "fingers" are the future

Agreed, I like to use fingers for almost everything, but I still use the stylus for quick paper-free note-taking and diagram sketching in meetings (which is then synced neatly to Outlook). I'd miss that ability. I'm not sure that I'd be able to write quickly and accurately with a fingertip.

CE 5.2 and 6.0? There's a huge world of difference in those two versions of CE (Especially when it comes to memory). I wonder why one would continue to implement the os in both versions of CE.

My guess is that early versions are to be implemented with CE 5.2, leading towards CE6.0 for a release.

The CE 6.0 comes as a news to me.
I don't think they will made both versions, because it means BIG changes in underlying code, which WM6.5 (which is a slight, not so well-thought face lift of WM6.1) supposedly doesn't have, given also the fact that it runs almost unmodified on current devices.

My sources could well be wrong on this...

However, 6.5.1 is a very significant facelift from 6.5. Remember some of those early WM7 mock ups? Some of them were 6.5.1 mock ups.

Could you point us to some of those alleged 6.5.1 screenshots?
http://www.engadget.com/photos/is-this-windows-mobile-7/

This also would mean that the pretty graphics in the screens is done without 3d hardware acceleration, and I'm not sure whether this is any good. It would mean an excuse for Microsoft to delay any plans to develop a snappy UI and API using HW 3d....

thank you

Little vid looks rather good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Pq3AdEVJY...player_embedded

Well I looked at it and I find it rather unimpressive. They just sized the whole UI and controls much larger to accomodate fingers, without redesigning a single page. Recycled, randomly thrown in, cheap Bollywood-style special effects (worser actually, 'cause Bollywood people have faith in what they do), like the the progress bar opening effect on the Storage tab of the memory app, are further detrimental to the mix. IMHO, the 6.5 UI except for the start menu actually looks a lot uglier and disproportionated than 6.1.

And the start menu. Looks almost fine, but hey it lags the crap out of the hell. The CPU will be maxed out during the scroll gesture. Everything the phone is doing in that moment (music, mail, etc) will be slowed down grinding. This is actually reassuring me that WM7 will be the true breakthough (when compared to previous WM OSes) and will put in serious use some serious 3d acceleration.

Btw before someone cites me in a court, I'm a happy HTC S740 owner