When Microsoft launched Windows Mobile 6.5 earlier this month, the latest version of the company's operating system for cellphones and mobile devices was met with lukewarm (if not hostile) reviews. In a nutshell, the biggest complaint is that the operating system was essentially unchanged from the previous few versions and didn't offer much to convince users to stick with the platform instead of switching to an iPhone, Blackberry, Google Android, or Palm device.

But there may be hope. Windows Mobile 6.5 does have a new and improved web browser and home screen, even if the calendar and contacts applications haven't changed in half a decade. And now it looks like Microsoft is working on an incremental update that may or may not be called Windows Mobile 6.5.1 that will bring a number of minor but significant improvements.

Unofficial builds of Windows Mobile 6.5 have been leaking onto the web for the past few months, and blogger Long Zheng reports that among other things:

• There's a new contact application that's more finger-friendly
• The start menu and close buttons have been moved to the bottom toolbar, which allows the toolbar at the top to be thinner and hold status icons only
• UI elements including buttons and check boxes have received a visual refresh

Windows Mobile 7 is expected out next year, and it will reportedly represent a major shift by including more finger-friendly controls and a new version of Office Mobile. But until then, it sounds like Windows Mobile 6.5.1 might be the way to go if you're stuck with a Windows Mobile device. Long Zheng reports that early builds are already available for download for some mobile phones in the shadier areas of the internet.

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

The long and short of it? If you're leaning toward getting a Windows Mobile phone anyway, Windows Mobile 6.5 has a few features that you might like. But it's hardly a home-run hit that will help Microsoft compete with Apple, Palm, Google, Symbian, and other mobile platforms. We'll have to wait for Windows Mobile 7 to see any major changes in the platform.

Microsoft is planning to open a Windows Marketplace for Mobile store that lets you purchase and install software directly from a Windows Mobile phone. You know, kind of like Apple's iPhone App Store. You probably already knew that. But here's what you probably didn't know: When you purchase an application from Microsoft's store, you'll be able to install it on up to 5 Windows Mobile 6.5 devices.

In other words, if you've got a phone for work and one for home, and want to install the same game, IM client, calendar, or other tool, you can do it without paying twice. You could also share programs with friends or family members by authorizing their phones.

There are at least two reasons this is noteworthy. First, it's a feature that no other mobile app store I'm aware of offers. And two, it could make it a whole lot more economical to pick up a couple of Windows Mobile phones for your family than to pick up multiple iPhones or Google Android phones (unless you don't plan on purchasing software).

The only way to download and install the same application on multiple iPhones is to have multiple phones with the same credit card and iTunes information.

On the other hand, this could be taken as Microsoft giving developers the middle finger, since they could stand to lose potential sales and revenue opportunities.

Update: As has been widely reported, it turns out that Microsoft will actually allow users to install an app up to five of their own devices. There are no plan to let users share apps.

A group of Microsoft folks got together at the TechEd conference yesterday to discuss the upcoming launch of Windows Mobile 6.5. They talked about widgets, the new Windows Marketplace app store, and about how Silverlight won't be offered. But the most surprising admission was the fact that Microsoft doesn't really consider the Windows Mobile 6.5 user interface to be "complete."

Responding to a question about the UI, Windows Mobile Senior Product Manager Loke Uei Tan said the team "couldn't complete the interface on Windows Mobile 6.5" due to time constraints. Microsoft spent about 8 or 9 months developing Windows Mobile 6.5, and the emphasis wasn't really on the UI.

This isn't to say that Windows Mobile 6.5 will be completely unusable. It is a complete operating system. It's just that some of the new UI elements haven't been updated. So while there's a new program launcher and home page, large portions of the Windows Mobile 6.5 user interface will look a lot like Windows Mobile 6.1.

There's a bit more information coming out about Microsoft's answer to the iPhone App Store. A member of the PPC Geeks forums somehow managed to get a brief glimpse of the Windows Mobile Marketplace on his phone running a hacked version of Windows Mobile 6.5. His access appears to have been revoked, but he managed to get a few screengrabs before he was booted.

And Microsoft has published a list of restrictions for Windows Mobile developers looking to make their apps available in the Marketplace. You can download a PDF file with all the details, but here are a few of the things that will get your app booted from the Windows Mobile Marketplace:

• Apps that enable VoIP over mobile operator networks
• Apps that sell, link to, or promote mobile voice plans
• Apps that distribute alternate marketplaces for content types distributed through the Windows Marketplace
• Apps with over the air download sizes of more than 10MB
• Apps that run code outside of Microsoft runtimes
• Apps that change the default browser, search client, or media player

Overall, the rules seem pretty restrictive, and designed to give Microsoft and mobile carriers a lot of control over Window Mobile devices. Fortunately, you don't need to jailbreak a Windows Mobile device in order to run apps that aren't available from the Windows Mobile Marketplace. So if you can't find what you're looking for in the Marketplace, odds are you'll be able to find it somewhere else.
[via WMExperts]

Spb Mobile Shell is a utility that gives Windows Mobile phones a completer user interface overhaul. It can be used as a replacement for the Windows Mobile Today Screen and program launchers. The latest version features a 3D carousel view that lets you flip from one screen to another, and a user customizable Today Screen replacement based on widgets for contacts, weather, and other information.

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 also has a finger-friendly user interface that lets you scroll through programs by dragging and dropping the screen. There's a contact utility that's a bit more powerful than the default Windows Mobile contact app. You can sort contacts using widgets. For instance, you can arrange your contact screen so the people you call most often could have larger photos and be featured near the top or bottom of the screen. Another thing you can do is grab photos of your contacts from Facebook.

Some companies may choose to preload Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 on upcoming Windows Mobile handsets. But you can also download and install the application on most phones or PDAs running Windows Mobile 5.0 or later. The software runs $29.95 for a full license, or $14.95 if you're upgrading from Spb Mobile Shell 2.0. There's a 15 day free trial available.

Microsoft has announced that it will announce the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 (which we already know an awful lot about) on May 11th at the Tech Ed 2009 conference. Odd are you won't actually see any cellphones running this operating system until this fall. But Microsoft is holding a "kick off" presentation next month.

The Tech Ed conference is aimed at IT professionals and developers, and Microsoft will be hosting several sessions on developing for Windows Mobile. So the reason for launching the OS before it's actually available to the public appears to be to help encourage developers to work on third party applications for the platform.

[via ZDNet]

While Apple and Google have let iPhone and Google Android users add new features and operating system upgrades by downloading and installing software over the air, things have always been much more complicated on Windows Mobile devices.

The earliest Windows CE devices could only be upgraded by removing a ROM chip and replacing it with a new one obtained from the device manufacturer. If you had a Dell Axim, or an HP Jornada, it was up to Dell and HP to decide whether you would be able to upgrade, not Microsoft.

Eventually technological advances made it possible to upgrade a system just by reflashing the ROM on your device. But you still needed to acquire the ROM update either from the manufacturer, or get a hacked version from the gray areas of the internet.

But now it looks like Microsoft is building a "Device Update" service for Windows Mobile. In a job listing, Microsoft talks about a new service that would allow the company to deliver new features automatically much the same way it does with Windows Update on the company's desktop operating systems. This means new features and OS updates could be installed with just a click, or maybe even no clicks at all.

It will probably be a while before we see this new feature, so you shouldn't expect it in Windows Mobile 6.5. But future versions of the operating system might be easier to update.

[via IStartedSomething]

Windows Mobile users have been able to choose themes for their home screen, start menu, and toolbars for years. But usually Windows Mobile phones and PDAs come with just a handful of backgrounds and themes to choose from. It looks like Microsoft plans to spruce things up a bit by offering a number of designer themes for Windows Mobile 6.5 from actual designers including Isaac Misrahi, Ron Arad, and Vera Wang.

Blogger Long Zheng has posted a series of pictures of the new designer themes, ripped from a pre-release version of Windows Mobile 6.5. And while I can't promise that you're going to find them all particularly attractive, they'll definitely give Windows Mobile phones a bit of flare.

You can find 4 more themes and higher resolution images at I Started Something.

Microsoft is preparing to launch Windows Marketplace for mobile phones. The Marketplace is Microsoft's answer to the iPhone App Store. It will allow Windows Mobile users to find purchase, and download mobile applications directly from their phones. But as we discovered this week, the service will only be available to users with Windows Mobile 6.5 phones. Microsoft has no plans to release a version of Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1, or older devices despite the fact that millions of people already have mobile devices with older versions of Microsoft's mobile operating system.

Unlike Apple, Microsoft also doesn't make it easy to upgrade from one version of Windows Mobile to the next. It's typically up to the phone manufacturers and wireless carriers to decide whether an upgrade will be available and the upgrade procedure can be cumbersome, to say the least. So odds are if you don't get a new phone running Windows Mobile 6.5 you won't be able to use Windows Marketplace.

That said, this isn't the first controversy surrounding the Windows Marketplace. Microsoft initially told developers that they'd have to pay a fee every time they issued an update for an application listed in the Marketplace. But after receiving strong criticism, Microsoft backed down. Maybe if there's a large enough stink around the Windows Mobile 6.5 requirement, Microsoft will come up with a way to let users with older phones use the Windows Mobile Marketplace.

Microsoft is unveiling more information about the Windows Mobile Marketplace, including a policy change. While the company had initially decided that developers would have to pay a $99 fee not only to list applications in Microsoft's answer to the iPhone App Store, but every time they wanted to issue an update. Now Microsoft has changed that policy. Developers can issue application updates for free.

The company has also put together a promotional video that gives a preview of what the Windows Marketplace for mobile phones will look like. Users will be able to browse or search for applications, read reviews and see ratings, purchase and download programs on their handsets. You can also use a desktop web browser to shop. Any items you purchase will be automatically sent to your linked Windows Mobile phone. And you can get a refund on applications you "return."

The image to the right shows a screengrab from the video, but you can watch the entire promo at I Started Something.

Sure, we're still waiting for Windows Mobile 6.5 to actually ship. But word on the street is that Windows Mobile 7 is going to be much cooler anyway. Unfortunately, it's not likely to show up on any cellphones until 2010 at the earliest. But an anonymous tipster sent a few screenshots to wmpoweruser that may give us an idea of what the next, next generation version of Windows Mobile will look lke.

It looks like the battery and volume meters have moved to the bottom of the display, while a WiFi indicator is still visible at the top of the screen. The home screen has a series of icons that users can flip through to launch programs, and perhaps most intriguingly, nothing that looks like a Windows Start Menu. There's also a picture of a map application that doesn't look quite like any existing app available for Windows Mobile.

I'd take these images with a grain of salt. They could be real, but they could also be concept designs from Microsoft or just a mockup from some random person who enjoys spreading rumors on the internet.

[via Electronista]

Skype has launched a beta of Skype 3.0 for Windows Mobile. As expected, the new client has two major new features: SMS and file transfer.

The file transfer feature lets you swap files with any other Skype member, whether they're using a mobile or desktop client. With the SMS function, you can send domestic or international text messages at Skype rates, which in many cases are lower than the rates you'd pay to send international SMS over a wireless carrier. You can send or receive files or text messages over a 3G or WiFi connection.

Google has launched a new mobile video player for Windows Mobile and Symbian Series 60 phones. The application adds support for additional phones, boots faster than previous versions, and streams video optimized for 3G and WiFi connections.

You can use the application to search or browse for videos and play them on your device. When you click play, videos will launch in full screen mode.

To install the application, visit m.youtube.com on your mobile device and click the download link. There's a list of supported S60 devices, but no support list for Windows Mobile. Having tried unsuccessfully to install the YouTube player on my Dell Axim X50v, I can tell you that it does not support Windows Mobile 2003SE. But I suspect if you've ot a device with Windows Mobile 6.0 or a newer operating system you should be covered.

[via CoolSmartPhone]