Guest Paul (MVP) Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 It's been rumoured, leaked, posted about and even installed on some people's devices in it's pre-beta form... but at Mobile World Congress today, Microsoft finally made Windows Mobile 6.5 official! Revealed today by Steve Ballmer, the updated operating system (very clearly built on the same core as WM 6.1) includes both UI and performance enhancements, as well as vastly improved Pocket Internet Explorer browing experience building on the effectively stillborn (so far anyway) PIE6. HTC revealed at the event that their Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 will be upgradeable. In addition to revealing the new OS, it was also announced that going forward what we know as 'Windows Mobile Phones' would become 'Windows Phones' (running the Windows Mobile operating system). The thinking behind this is that it is easier for consumers to understand, and easier for them to associate with their PC based Windows experience. I sense some capitalising of the postive vibe around Windows 7 too... Microsoft seem very keen to exploit people's comfort with the Windows brand. Another announcement in the press conference was the (again much leaked) 'MyPhone' product. My Phone is a service that allows the end user to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web. An online backup service. Finally, Windows Marketplace for Mobile (the Windows Mobile 'App Store') got it's official name... and is set to provide direct-to-phone mobile applications. An interesting point is that the marketplace (like the Apple App Store) can be accessed from both the phone and the Web. There's lots of unanswered questions re: availability of 6.5, MP and WMM, but i'll be doing my best to get these answered and reporting back! Also stay tuned for a full MyPhone Beta review... :( P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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