MWC: Your Definitive Windows Mobile 6.5 Post-Release Guide

Windows Mobile 6.5 is here. Following up on our pre-release guide (which proved to be quite accurate), we've got our post-release guide with everything you need to know about the next version of Windows Mobile to hit your phone. Click on for more...

Availability:
By late summer, you'll be able to buy a Windows Mobile 6.5 device. We know, we know, it is far off, but on the bright side, XDA-Devs will be working day and night to generate some cooked ROM goodness for those that are brave enough to risk bricking their device to see WM 6.5 firsthand.

Also, those that buy the new HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2 will get a free upgrade.

You may be asking: I've got an Omnia/Touch HD/Diamond/Fuze/etc...will I be able to upgrade? Unfortunately, the answer is most likely a "no" in most cases. The update from 6.1 to 6.5 is more significant than previous releases, and OEMs aren't likely to spend the time and money to bring older hardware up to speed. But see our note about XDA-Devs above.

The Branding:
"Windows Mobile" still lives as the underlying operating system. For the sake of marketing, a phone that runs Windows Mobile will now be called a Windows Phone. We think that makes sense. Also, it looks like Windows Mobile non-touchscreen is dead. About Windows Mobile 7 - Ballmer brushed off the question when asked, so don't expect it soon. Next year seems to be a likely target.

The Focus:
The core focus for Microsoft on 6.5 was to bridge the gap between phone and desktop, so that your phone becomes an extension of your digital life. It's a funny way to approach the mobile space, considering that for years, Microsoft has wavered between making a PC-like experience on the phone, then going back to the "mobile is a totally separate experience" paradigm.

The new version of Windows Mobile is indeed a refresh. You can't really argue any other way. That said, it's a proper refresh for an operating system that has been badly in need of some touch-friendly enhancements. Gone are tiny menus, small X buttons, and measly scroll bars. Also, flick scrolling is built into the whole operating system.

The Interface:



Before getting started with your phone, you will be presented with this unlock screen. It allows you to see the time and your next appointment, so that you don't have to actually unlock the device to get some basic information.



If you tap on the lock icon and drag down, you'll get several other indicators that lets you monitor missed calls, SMS, emails, etc. If you have a new SMS, for example, you'd slide the indicator to the right, and the device will be unlocked and you will be taken to your SMS application.



The new default home screen interface for Windows Mobile 6.5 is comprised of finger-friendly panels that are just about identical to the sliding panel interface found on the Motorola Q9h, BlackJack II, and so on. We also get a translucent top and bottom bar, which gives the wallpaper a taller appearance.



Gone is the Start menu. Instead, if you hit the Start button, or the hardware Start button (which must be included on all new Windows Phones), you will be taken to the honeycomb, which you can flip through by swiping your finger up and down. You can also rearrange items in the honeycomb. For more on this, click onto the discussion on the honeycomb shape.



No more tiny menu items. All menu items will now "float" above the background and give you large, finger-friendly choices.



Windows Mobile 6.5 has a new contacts application. Though a subtle upgrade, this new app allows you to see little thumbnails of those in your contacts list.



Internet Explorer 6 mobile brings a slick interface plus full desktop rendering to Windows Mobile with Flash support. What does this mean for Opera, who makes a competing product (Opera Mobile)? We still don't know just how good this new version of IE is, so it's tough to say. At the end of the day, Opera makes web browsers, so they're likely to see this new release as a reason to innovate further.

Other New Stuff:
Microsoft My Phone, which we've written about extensively, is the new free syncing program that can be considered to be Exchange for consumers. It will back up your phone on a daily basis, plus allow you to manage your SMS/photos/contacts etc from the web, with 200MB of storage.

Also, Ballmer spoke about the Marketplace for applications, but really didn't place much emphasis on it, nor was it shown. Either Marketplace isn't finished, or it will be an optional application that OEMs can plug into to distribute and/or sell certain applications. Microsoft obviously doesn't want to step on the heals of Handango and MobiHand, but they want to answer the incessant question of "Where is the WinMo app store?"



Here is a great video walk through from Engadget.

Overall Impressions:
One of the reasons that Windows Mobile enthusiasts still exist is because we applaud the power and versatility of the platform. We can do in 2 taps what the iPhone can do in 4 taps. In one screen, we can see every piece of important information that matters, without drilling into programs. And of course, we have the choice of a dozen form factors, and can rely on the same experience on each of the devices.

Today we witnessed the unveiling of a substantial refresh of an operating system that was falling behind its touch-friendly peers. This refresh will go a long way to underscore the said advantages of this platform. The new unlock screen and sliding panel interface makes information ease to access, the death of the Start menu will save a screen tap, and the touch-friendly enhancements will pave the way to slicker devices that don't need a D-Pad.

From here on, it will be up to the OEMs (just like it has been) to innovate on top of Windows Mobile, which isn't such a bad thing now that the innards of WinMo have been refreshed and updated, and no longer will there be a huge disconnect between finger-friend interface like TouchFLO 3D and the stylus-friendly interface of Windows Mobile.

In the end, I think this is the energy boost that Windows Mobile needed to let it stand up against other smarpthone platforms in 2009. That said, this "energy boost" won't last forever; this industry changes faster than any other industry. If Microsoft fails on its promise of Windows Mobile 7 or delivers it too late, then Windows Mobile could lose its relevance come 2010. But for now, we're pretty satisfied. Are you?