Windows Mobile "crossbow" in the wild?

Here ya go WinMo lovers, a screen shot of the purported next generation Windows Mobile OS codenamed Crossbow, courtesy of MS Mobile News. Sure, it could just be a WinMo 5.0 theme for all we know but if this is the full Pocket PC homescreen above, then we can expect a glossier look, continued softkey support, and a smattering of oh so Vista icons when this, and the SmartPhone version are released in the first half of 2007. As we already heard from Microsoft, Crossbow will feature a new version of Office Communicator and "strong links with Office 2007 and Exchange 12." If all this still leaves you aching for the hotness of Photon, well, suck it up son 'cause that's not scheduled to hit until the first half of 2008.

[Jake @ Oct 9th 2006 11:36AM]

Have you ever actually used a WM5 device? They're generally far more stable than modern PalmOS devices. That and WM2003SE wasn't bad at all; it was faster, but not quite as stable as WM5.

[Alex Padilla @ Oct 9th 2006 8:39AM]

Oh, nice. I like the new look. It looks more...professional. Not so clustered, either. Now the real question is "Is this the real thing?".

[JD @ Oct 9th 2006 8:58AM]

Just what we need... another mobile OS. How about making one OS that will work across devices and be forward/backward compatible? Holy Crap! I've been developing for PDA's for like 6 years now, and everytime a new version of the OS comes out, half the old features are crippled/changed/incompatible. I want to make some serious mobile applications to compliment my desktop products, but the ever-changing and highly undocumented features of these new OS' are killing development cycles. Let's keep this one 100% backwards compatible... please.. just once...so I can get caught up :/

[James Pratt @ Oct 9th 2006 1:16PM]

JD. I work on the Windows Mobile team and one of the areas I focus on is backward compatibility. We spend a lot of time and effort trying to preserve backward compatibility, so today's application will work on tomorrow's OS.

There are occasions when we break back compat but we usually do so oniously to meet another strategic need, for example, moving to Windows Mobile 5.0 we moved the Outlook databases to a new data store which was better optimized to run from flash store. While the Outlook APIs were updadted to point to this new data store and provide app transparency, some apps had were accessing the database directly and hence needed to be updated. We contacted lots of ISVs about this prior to the 5.0 launch to let them know what had changed and how to fix it.

Sometimes our developers forget that ISVs have resource constraints and ship schedules as well. It's always useful for me to have real war stories from ISVs who have been affected by back compat issues to illustrate the pain we risk putting ISVs through when we make changes.

Feel free to mail me. My e-mail address is my full first name followed by the first two letters of my last name at microsoft.com.

[apoc @ Oct 9th 2006 9:00AM]

Old stuff, that was only an UI test, custom theme and icons over Mobile 5.

[Konstantino @ Oct 9th 2006 9:12AM]

Nice. I like it, it reminds me a lot of Vista. Microsoft's style is getting better, but I still feel that it's too over the top.

[Zach @ Oct 9th 2006 9:43AM]

Is this going to unify the platforms, or do we have to wait till Photon to do that. I've used both smartphone and ppc edition. I like my cingular 8125 better than the 2125, but there are many features I miss like the profiles, ringers based on calenders, and totally integrated one button (not touch screen) control. PPC is more powerfull, but the smartphone version is just put together better. Until Linux really gets going on phones, I'll have to make due. can't wait for that linux based palm os.

[jim @ Oct 9th 2006 9:45AM]

I've had a PPC 2003 device and a WM5. I think WM5 is pretty good the biggest issues I have with it I can't be sure if they are with WM5 or my particular hardware manufacturer's fault. My device doesn't have enough on board memory - haven't seen any WM5 model with more. My screen doesn't always turn on properly - saw that in the only other model I've worked with. My Bluetooth sucks but some people say that is because of the MS BT stack.

The biggest issue may be with WM5 or it may be just with Voice Command. I had to use a registry hack to allow dialing by BT but it isn't as accurate as it needs to be.

[nick c @ Oct 9th 2006 10:05AM]

this looks so much better than the previous version
maybe i will actually pick one up when it comes out

[motech @ Oct 9th 2006 10:07AM]

at least they finally put the battery meter on the top of the screen
(at this point in time on WM5 you can only see the battery meter when on the home screen.)

[Dave Pevsner @ Oct 9th 2006 10:16AM]

OK so, my radeon x300 won't run aero, but XScale integrated graphics will? FTW microsoft, your desktop technology sucks.

[Gamey McGee @ Oct 9th 2006 10:48AM]

I find it interesting that this version of windows is laid out like OS X / Apple OS's. The start / apple menu is top left, universal indicators are top right. Hmmm ....

[Nick @ Oct 9th 2006 1:48PM]

You do realise they've been doing this since early versions of Windows CE?

[Yubal @ Oct 9th 2006 10:59AM]

It is the same thing, just with a glossy skin. I see nothing breakthrough here. Also, the clock now is on the home screen and not on the task bar. In the task bar it also would be vissible at all times.

[Yubal @ Oct 9th 2006 11:01AM]

not to mention the still-mediocre to-do and appointment implementations on the home screen.

Pocket breeze... it'll do.

[PPC @ Oct 9th 2006 11:29AM]

And why the fudge should i spend $500+ on another PPC? Just because it has "a glossier look, continued softkey support, and a smattering of oh so Vista icons"? This is lame! I just hope the iPhone lives up to its hype.

[Oddmanout @ Oct 9th 2006 11:38AM]

Gee...thanks Microsoft...glossier icons. Just what I needed. Now how about...

- Task Manager
- Device Manager (ie soft eject for CF/SD)
- Always visibly battery meter
- CLI
- DOS/Windows emulator
- Higher RAM requirement (Not usage! REQUIREMENT. Make those OEMs put a decent amount of ram in there)

Thank you...

[enzo @ Oct 9th 2006 12:08PM]

I heart windows mobile.

[Jason @ Oct 9th 2006 12:33PM]

Windows Mobile "Crossbow" is currently in Beta 3 internally. No release has been set, but it is very impressive. I'm pretty impressed with how it handles the memory better (finally).

[khertan @ Oct 9th 2006 12:38PM]

"Have you ever actually used a WM5 device? They're generally far more stable than modern PalmOS devices."

Have you ever actually used a PalmOS device ? They're more stable than all winmobile version.

Of course if you install bad programmed application, the application crash ... like in other plateform ...

There are more application avaible on PalmOS ... so, there are more poor application too ....

[rob @ Oct 9th 2006 12:41PM]

Pretty but when are thye gonna change those fugle icons in the upper right?????!

[Erwos @ Oct 9th 2006 1:06PM]

My wife has a Treo 650 of the non-sucky kind (aka, CDMA). I have a PPC-6700 (Windows Mobile 5). There isn't any real difference in stability between the two of them. Applications are marginally faster to access in PalmOS, but Windows Mobile 5 has more useful applications and better hardware support.

[jim @ Oct 9th 2006 3:00PM]

I did think of two issues that are really issues with WM5 hopefully addressed in WM6/crossbow.

I recommend all my clients buy SPB Pocket plus - for better battery status display and the ability to customize the desktop.

I recommend all my clients who didn't get voice command on their phone to purchase it. Should have been part of the OS in my opinion. I know it could be sold seperately but you can be sure the Iphone will have it as part of the OS and then Windows will follow - why not just be a stand up company and do it now instead of always waiting for the competition to do something first?

[Jeff Lewis @ Oct 9th 2006 3:26PM]

For me, the big issue is detaching hardware and OS dependency. Right now, the only way to get an upgrade for more WM PDAd is to buy a new PDA.

The WM team has to develop a standardised drive abstraction layer and stop tinkering with it and then build new OSes to it so that Microsoft can sell OS upgrades, rather than relying on the hardware makes to do it - because here's the thing - MS is putting the onus on the group with the least to benefit from offering a firmware upgrade.

They'd rather the customer just buy a new PDA - that's where THEY make their money. But MS makes their money on any OS sale - whether that's in a new PDA or in a firmware upgrade.

I'm sticking with my WM4 Pocket Loox 720 until either something so fantastic that I have to get it comes along (which is unlikely since the Loox has almost everything you can put into a PDA except for integrated GPS, and I have a BT GPS), or until Microsoft comes up with a way to upgrade OSes without involving the PDA makers.

[Jeff Lewis @ Oct 9th 2006 3:28PM]

The Internet means clicking before proofreading... my apologies - what I meant to say was...

"For me, the big issue is decoupling hardware and OS dependency. Right now, the only way to get an upgrade for most WM PDAs is to buy a new PDA.

The WM team has to develop a standardised driver abstraction layer and stop tinkering with it and then..."

[Richard Lai @ Oct 9th 2006 3:32PM]

Yeah what about the Windows logo? Clearly this is just the WM5 interface with a different colour theme.

[Michael La Framboise @ Oct 9th 2006 5:06PM]

apoc; would you by any chance have a link to that skin? cause I cant find it anywhere

[Harry Myhre @ Oct 9th 2006 11:34PM]

Looks 99.99% the same as the WinMo 5 running on my phone now. Colours are different, but so what.
No digg

[Alexander Carlill @ Oct 10th 2006 3:07PM]

Thing is, I doubt this is real. Note that the 'Owner Information' section of the Today Screen is right next to the MSN icon... Also I doubt that Microsoft would choose turquoise as a glossy colour, they'd rather go for Vista grey.