Will You Be Able to Upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5?

I'm sure you've asked yourself this by now: will I be able to upgrade my current device to Windows Mobile 6.5 when it comes out?

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's quite likely the answer will be a "no," no matter what device you have now. There are many reasons that this will be the case. Chief among them:

1. At the Ballmer keynote, the HTC CEO made it a big deal that people that buy the Touch Pro2 and Diamond2 will get a free upgrade. Both of these devices were designed for 6.5, so this makes sense. It's not likely that HTC would spend the time upgrading last-generation hardware to new-generation software.

2. OEMs and carriers naturally stray from issuing software updates that would be too costly or timely to implement. That's one of the reasons that the WinMo 6.1 updates took so long (we've heard reports that some ROM updates cost millions of dollars). With a new physics engine, a lot of optimization will need to be done to get 6.5 working on your Samsung Omnia, for example, so it's not likely that Samsung or Verizon will spend that time to get it right and push it out to the user.

3. This kind of goes along with the number one: not giving you an update is a way to encourage you to buy a new phone. Since 6.1 to 6.5 is a more significant upgrade than 6.0 to 6.1 was, OEMs and carriers will want you to experience the latest hardware with the latest software. Or at least, that is how they'll justify it.

4. Microsoft wants all WinMo 6.5 devices to have a Windows flag on it right on the front of the device (the keyboard doesn't seem to count). There aren't any recent WinMo touchscreen devices (that come to mind) that have this flag.

That said, the smart folks at XDA-Devs will likely issue working 6.5 ROMs for all or most HTC devices. But exploring this option may cause you to brick your device and void your warranty, so it's not advised unless you consider yourself an expert =D. If we hear anything about a possible 6.5 upgrade coming to a phone near you, you'll be the first to know.