Filed under: OS Updates, Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 6.5 review roundup
Microsoft has pulled back the thin veil that was covering Windows Mobile 6.5 and launched its next generation operating system for mobile phones. And it's pretty much exactly what you would expect based on all the information that's been coming out over the past year or so. That's to say, it appears to be a minor, mostly cosmetic update to Windows Mobile 6.1. A number of tech news sites have published detailed reviews of Windows Mobile 6.5. And here's what they generally have in common: Microsoft has tweaked the home screen to make it more attractive and more user friendly. The program launcher has also received a minor cosmetic update that makes it easier to navigate with a finger and no stylus. But there's no good way to sort programs or arrange them the way you like them. And when you actually launch the applications you're often greeted with programs that haven't changed much since Windows Mobile was called Pocket PC 2002. For instance, the calendar is as ugly and feature-free as it was 7 years ago.
The web browser is actually a pretty major improvement. It's based on Internet Explorer 6, which may be incredibly out of date when it comes to desktop browsers. But for a mobile web browser, it's pretty good at rendering most of the web content you'll encounter. It also has improved navigation buttons that don't take up as much on-screen real estate. Those buttons disappear when you're not using them. The browser supports Flash, and you can zoom in and out of web pages to see the full page or just the text area you want to read.
- Windows Mobile 6.5 review - Engadget says not much has really changed
- Windows Mobile 6.5 1st Look - Mobility Site has what is probably the most extensive walkthrough of the bunch
- Windows Mobile 6.5 Review: There's No Excuse for This - Gizmodo has lots of pictures, lots of complaints
- IE 6 for Windows phones: Interface improved - CNET suggests that Internet Explorer 6, at least, is a welcome update
- Windows Mobile 6.5 disappoints; no Start customizations and stylus still required - ZDNet decides Windows Mobile 6.5 fails to live up to even relatively low expectations
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sitruc said 9:07AM on 10-07-2009
I liked 6.5 some when it came out, but it wasn't until 6.5.1 builds that I really liked it.
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superrrguy said 11:44AM on 10-18-2009
Not that anyone cares considering the one and only comment.
I've been a WinMo user since the Velo.
6.1 was pretty good but 6.5 is a bad copy of the iPhone, Storm, Pre, and who knows what else. The new Start Menu has staggered icons which are hard on the eyes and there's no way to sort them. The IE is beyond awful and cannot even display mobile sites without horizontal scrolling. I know people haven't liked Pocket IE but at least it was quick and dirty for mobile sites.
Not to mention that 6.5 devices will be abandoned by MS when 7.0 comes out.
I'm jumping ship. I just haven't decided what to get.
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