Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows Mobile 6.1

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows Mobile, Microsoft, Mobile Minute

Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows Mobile 6.1

by Brad Linder Apr 1st 2008

Microsoft officially announced the availability of Windows Mobile 6.1 today. We've been hearing rumors about new features for a few months now, but it's nice to hear it straight from the source. Plus we can stop guessing about availability. Microsoft also announced the mobile carriers and hardware makers who will be offering upgrades.

So what's new in Windows Mobile 6.1? First up, you get a new home screen with some scrolling action that allows you to access more information on a single page. Second, the smartphone versions of Windows Mobile 6.1 included threaded SMS capabilities. And finally, the mobile version of Internet Explorer has been updated to allow desktop-style views of web pages. In other words, you can see a full web page with tiny text and tiny images, and then zoom in to the portion of the web page you want to read, much as you can do with Opera Mini or the iPhone's Safari browser.

Windows Mobile 6.1 packs a few other tweaks such as an easier setup process and security enhancements. But this is a point release, not a whole new version of Windows Mobile. So if you were hoping for something a bit more dramatic, you might have to wait a little longer.

Tags: home-screen, pocket-internet-explorer, sms, threaded-sms, windows-mobile, windows-mobile-6.1

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Quikboy said 10:47PM on 4-01-2008

Hmm. The new mobile IE seems a lot like the Deepfish ( http://labs.live.com/Deepfish/ ) that MS has talked about.

I really can't wait to finally see it come out on WinMo.

superrrguy said 8:17PM on 4-02-2008

What's Windows Mobile?

Quikboy said 6:42AM on 4-03-2008

A mobile OS for mobile phones.

superrrguy said 12:27PM on 4-03-2008

I know. =)

I've been using 6.1 on my Tilt and StrTrk for months already. Just seems no one else cares anymore.

Let me just say that 6.1 is so much better than 5.0 and the threaded sms is a huge step over 6.0 but most everyone I know gave up on WinMo with version 5.0.

GkSqd said 8:21AM on 4-06-2008

Sorry but you had better check the ver again. I'm afraid you have been using WM6.0 for months...NOT WM 6.1. It has just been relaesed to the mfgrs. I just got my Tilt back from HTC in for factory upgrades. They didn't even have WM 6.1 available yet for the Tilt as recently as a couple of weeks ago.

T Wag said 10:17AM on 4-04-2008

How do u download WM6.1 if u have WM6 now?

KEVIN said 12:44PM on 4-15-2008

Threaded SMS in nice but what about muti-page SMS. That's my biggest complaint. Muti-page SMS is so basic. Comes with the cheapest Verizon phones but not on Windows devices. Some upgrade.

So does anyone know how to get this "upgrade". Do you need to get it from your carrier?

Steve said 7:38AM on 4-30-2008

That's the same thing I want to know...how do you actually get it?

(I'm running 6.0 on an AT&T Tilt right now)

ANdrei said 3:59PM on 5-03-2008

Where can i download windows mobile 6 or windows mobile 6.1? Help

deepesh arora said 7:22AM on 5-27-2008

Where can I download WM6.1 for my HTC tytnII?

James said 5:00PM on 5-28-2008

IIRC, there is an "official" TYTN II release, but you can get "cooked" (e.g. assembled by home enthusiasts using publicly-available pieces) ROMs from the xda-developers.com forums. The thing with Windows Mobile is, you don't just download an installer from Microsoft -- Microsoft provides the components for the OS to hardware vendors, who then customize an upgrade for their individual devices.

This gets more complicated because e.g. an "HTC Hermes" could actually be any one of a dozen or more different hardware configurations, each set up for a different carrier. For instance, the HTC Hermes sold by AT&T as the 8525 does not have a front camera (for video conferencing), but is otherwise pretty much the same as one from Vodaphone or Orange. Anyway, if your carrier has not released an upgrade specifically for your handset, you're stuck with "cooked" ROMs. Or, if you bought it unbranded direct from the manufacturer, there might be an upgrade on their website.

Hansolo said 7:40PM on 11-13-2008

This makes little since in what should be a mature OS market by now. I understand what your saying and know it to be true but this is not good for the consumer. In fact little in the mobile market is good for the consumer.

I can have a totally different configured PC than you do and still install the same shrink-rapped version of XP or Vista. The installation process should be robust enough to customize its configuration or at the very least allow me to tell it what I have and have not.

All the makers of current OSs for PDAs and Mobile phones have allowed the cell phone industries and device manufacturers to dictate when and how you get to experience new versions of the OS in these devices. Obviously this is more to force the purchase of new devices over just upgrading the OS.

I hope Microsoft eventually flexes its supposed anti-competition muscle and tells these guys that their Mobile OS is for sale to all that want to purchase it and if the device manufactures can't or won't update their drivers as needed then they will suffer the same problems faced by manufacturers of PC hardware. Keep up or parish!

Harry Manfredini said 5:18PM on 6-20-2008

I have Sprint Mogul.. with 6.0 met a guy today briefly who had some upgrade... I am assuming it was 6.1. He had a voice gps navigation system on his Mogul..

is this possible, and if so, how do I download it and get that
Nav system.. help

otherwise the phone is pretty cool

thanks

HM

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