Microsoft has said it does not plan to make Internet Explorer Mobile 6 available to end users as a direct download. In other words, if you want IE 6 on your mobile phone, you're going to have to buy a new phone. Because it won't run on existing devices. Instead, Microsoft will work with OEMs to load the updated browser on phones that will be released in the not too distant future.

But there's good news for impatient Windows Mobile users. A member of the MoDaCo forums has built a custom ROM for the HTC Touch HD that comes with Internet Explorer 6 preloaded. In other words, it's possible to get the browser running on existing hardware. And if a hacker can do it, there's no reason we couldn't eventually see phone makers distribute the software as a download. Sure, it's not likely, but it's certainly possible.

In the meantime, if you have a Touch HD and you're looking for a browser capable of full desktop views and the same rendering engine used in Internet Explorer 6, you might want to give the potentially warranty-voiding ROM a try. If you're less adventerous you might want to settle for Opera Mobile, which is entirely legal and has the added benefit of supporting tabbed browsing.

[via Engadget]