Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5

With an endless chain of leaks dating back several months, the suspense factor might not be there that Microsoft had been hoping for -- but for what it's worth, Windows Mobile 6.5 is now official. The latest rendition of Microsoft's mobile platform puts an emphasis on touch-friendliness with a honeycomb-style main menu that the company says is easier to finger than a traditional grid layout; a new lock screen that can be slid on different alerts to automatically call up texts, voicemails, and so on; a thoroughly-restyled cut of Internet Explorer Mobile that features a touchable zoom slider and frequently-used commands; redesigned menus that don't need a stylus to actuate; fingerable home and contacts screens, and more. It's not the thorough gutting of the platform many were hoping for, but for anyone thinking that Windows Mobile 6.1 can stand another facelift without ending up looking like Joan Rivers, 6.5's clearly your baby. Sadly, Microsoft's saying that no devices in the market today will receive official 6.5 updates, but don't pull out your wallets just yet, though -- the first devices with Windows Mobile 6.5 preinstalled should be available in the fourth quarter of the year.

Gallery: Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5

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Further reading:

	Windows Mobile 6.5 feature tour sneaks onto YouTube Well, what have we got here? Someone has upped nine breathtaking minutes of Windows Mobile 6.5 (build 21159.5.0.0, if you must know) running live on an HTC Touch HD.		Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot We're just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable announcements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather.
	Microsoft confirms MyPhone, invite-only beta coming to MWC Remember that alleged Microsoft MyPhone beta page that popped up on getskybox.com yesterday? It's back up now and being hosted under the company's official domain, with everything apparently intact except that tantalizing "Sign In" button.		Microsoft Recite brings voice search to your voice notes Windows Mobile 6.5's presumably going to be the big news out of Redmond here at MWC this week, but Microsoft's also using the show as an opportunity to launch the "technology preview" of its Recite software, an ultra-simple voice note app for WinMo 6.0 and above.

[alan @ Feb 16th 2009 9:05AM]

Why not just jump to windows mobile 7 to coincide with the desktop os

[Peter Moore @ Feb 16th 2009 9:23AM]

Maybe, and this is really just a guess, but maybe- maybe- it's not done.

Maybe.

[Ken @ Feb 16th 2009 9:33AM]

Nah 6.1 is more like windows mobile 6 SE. So take a stab at what 6.5 would be.

[Paul A. Chapel @ Feb 16th 2009 9:53AM]

That would just make too much sense.

[iKurt Mark III @ Feb 16th 2009 11:06AM]

It can't, because it's not as advanced as iPhone's OSX.

[Anomoly @ Feb 16th 2009 1:48PM]

Lecube took the words out of my mouth... this is what WinMo needed.... atleast a year ago... and now they are saying it wont be a free upgrade for current WM 6.1 users... and it will take atleast 9 months before we see devices with it... major fail - i was trying to stick with WinMo but as soon as the Pre is out... i'm jumping ship -

Microsoft really just doesn't get it.

[ZSX @ Feb 21st 2009 11:11AM]

I think they do get it.

The mobile phone space is not like the PC space in that the network operators have a great say in the phones they carry and ultimately make available to the public. At the same time, mobile device manufacturers want to be able to customize their phones to allow some differentiation, and users also want to be able to tweak their phones to their liking. Windows Mobile (and possibly Android, but this has yet to be demonstrated) is currently the only OS to allow this by all three. And judging by the announcements of Samsung, LG, HTC etc. it is not going away any time soon.

6.5 brings Windows Marketplace which will enable users to add more programs, and generate a revenue stream for the mobile operators/ developers. MyPhone allows easy transition between phones for the user. The UI changes of 6.5 are not mind-blowing, but they will actually not really be seen by many end users as most devices will have customized UIs. The only devices I think you will be seeing the raw interface on is probably devices from smaller manufacturers, and even they are likely to invest in PointUI or Spb Mobile Shell.

I am hoping that 7 will have a slicker default UI, yes, but it is probably more important that it provides even more hooks for customization.

[rita hainsworth @ Feb 16th 2009 9:07AM]

Yeah..no.

[Aaron @ Feb 16th 2009 9:09AM]

Please tell us how your comment is helpful in any way, and how it benefits this article.


Attempt at cynicism?

Yeah........ No.

[ProfessorDex @ Feb 16th 2009 10:32AM]

@ Aaron

And your reply was SOOOOOO much more helpful and beneficial to the article.

[Aaron @ Feb 16th 2009 9:07AM]

BOOM!!!!


Well, we all knew it was coming sooner or later. It's nice to have concrete evidence of this fact now. Here's hoping a seamless integrateion and upgrade strategy for new and existing users.

And I hope they reduce the memory footprint of the OS as well! We need this thing to run as smoothly as possible.

[harj_thandi @ Feb 16th 2009 9:14AM]

No free update for the current market? - meh.

[BratPAQ @ Feb 16th 2009 9:28AM]

yeah, sadly. considering that it seems this is just a facelift for winmo 6.1

[Hamidxa @ Feb 16th 2009 9:08AM]

Somehow, it looks a lot slicker than before.
I guess the background change, anti-aliasing, and more translucency than the leaked pics have something to do with it.

[TareX @ Feb 16th 2009 10:07AM]

Looks a lot better than the leaked images. Especially the transparent honeycomb. I hope it's smoother on video though.

[Level 5 @ Feb 16th 2009 9:10AM]

"Sadly, Microsoft's saying that no devices in the market today will receive official 6.5 updates"

Ahh the key word here is "official". I think the community will queue this one up to HTC's currently fleet just dandy in due time :)

[Christian Walters @ Feb 16th 2009 9:29AM]

Exactly! Thats what I love about WinMo, you give 6.5 2 weeks on an "official" device, and someone will get it ported over to the Blue Angel, and then the madness will start! It never fails, the Blue Angel gets it first, and then it trickles down to every other HTC device out there.

[CJ @ Feb 16th 2009 10:06AM]

The, hah, Blue Angel already has it!

[Christian Walters @ Feb 16th 2009 10:34AM]

@CJ, no, whats been ported to the Blue Angel and some other HTC devices is some parts of 6.5, not the entire OS.

[kal326 @ Feb 16th 2009 10:41AM]

And that means that AT&T will have devices out with it on them by mid 2010 if WinMo 6.1 is any indication. Looks like I'll be holding onto my Tilt for a bit longer then I had originally planned, unless some of the upcoming HTC devices will be updated to 6.5 since the current models will not be "officially".

[Brandon @ Feb 16th 2009 10:20PM]

Keep supporting PPCGeeks.com and you will have you 6.5 that's right johnny 5 is alive, I mean keep hope alive my fellow windows mobile 6.1 users.

[Zunavio @ Feb 16th 2009 9:14AM]

That's it ?

[myro255 @ Feb 16th 2009 9:16AM]

You can put lipstick on a pig, but....

[Phil Perman @ Feb 16th 2009 9:26AM]

but the bacon is still just as tasty?

[Saad Rabia @ Feb 16th 2009 9:46AM]

but, thank god Microsoft didn't.

[chickenator @ Feb 16th 2009 11:55AM]

...that's what she said.

[Edo @ Feb 16th 2009 9:22AM]

I heard someone at HTC in the video say that the TouchDiamond2 will be upgraded to 6.5 for free!

[phobic99 @ Feb 16th 2009 9:26AM]

Definitely gonna have to see more (aren't we all) but I'm mildly more interested in seeing Windows Mobile suck less personally.

[Snitch @ Feb 16th 2009 9:27AM]

My question is, how do they expect this to stand up to the others? and i mean Palm new WebOS, Android, BB Rimm and last the iPhone OS X. I mean they're tons of cool devices for WM6.5 but the OS sucks hard.

[Christian Walters @ Feb 16th 2009 9:32AM]

Its not about what the OS looks like, its what the OS can do. Besides the BBOS, no other mobile OS can handle enterprise support like WinMo. No other OS is as customizable as WinMo. No other OS is application unlocked from the get go like WinMo....the list goes on and on. Sure it looks like Windows 2000 sometimes, but it works so damn well for what its designed to do that it doesnt matter to a real WinMo user. At least thats how I see it. Or maybe not, who knows. And that as they say is that. [1(ONE) Bonus Point to anyone who gets that reference at the end!]

[Chief @ Feb 16th 2009 9:33AM]

I wouldn't mind limiting use of the word "finger" as a verb. It's a little bit too... ummm... suggestive.

[CJ @ Feb 16th 2009 10:08AM]

Just replace all instances of the word 'finger' with the word 'penis'

Just like that, all the suggestiveness (er, not really a word, but there you go) goes away, and is replaced by outright smut.

[matt @ Feb 16th 2009 9:35AM]

How cluttered does that UI look?

[Greg @ Feb 16th 2009 9:37AM]

Is it just me, or is this still really unattractive? I like the honeycomb idea, but the implementation seems to waste a ton of screen space and the icons look cheap and the main menu looks like it's from the early 90s. Simple white text with exponents to indicate the number of messages? With a drop shadow? I can't help but think this looks like most people's first experimentation with text in Photoshop. And why didn't they carry over the design elements from the white on black status bar to the horrible "bubble" navigation tools in IE?

I actually thought the leaks were all just cheap skins on the core system and that they'd have a much better graphical overlay when it was released...disappointing.

[stingray_shrey @ Feb 18th 2009 1:07AM]

Microsoft needs to get something that apple has realized long ago. People don't give a sh*t about functionality, as long as something looks nice and they can show it off to their friends. That's why this will never sell as well as the iPhone, with its glossy, shiny buttons.

The icons do look like shit.

[Jason @ Feb 16th 2009 9:38AM]

Can't wait til XDA starts getting Roms together for current handsets!

[LivingNightmare @ Feb 19th 2009 8:10PM]

They had some already, but Microsoft sent them nasty letters making them take them down. I mean ALL of the links I had found were removed.

[TheSuburbanWhiteBoy @ Feb 16th 2009 9:43AM]

Windows Mobile sucks

[Jimmy Jones @ Feb 16th 2009 9:46AM]

And so do you.

[JediKnight @ Feb 16th 2009 9:44AM]

This shit better be in the HTC Touch Pro2....

Although I just got the Touch Pro...sorta bummed out now. I guess that's technology. Although it does still bother me that less then a few months the 2nd version is out. That's even worse than Apple.

[myro255 @ Feb 16th 2009 9:50AM]

I've been ranting about this all morning xD

I bought my Fuze on launch day expecting to be ahead of everyone else for at least a little while longer...

but i guess that's 'innovation' for you :\

[JediKnight @ Feb 16th 2009 9:56AM]

Lol glad I'm not alone. I got my Touch Pro from Sprint so I had it kinda earlier than some people but still.

Oh well I guess we could always sell the Touch Pro or see if we're eligible for a upgrade...

[myro255 @ Feb 16th 2009 10:07AM]

not when you've picked up a new contract a paltry 5 months ago to get a brand new phone that's JUST been released....

[wrabbit @ Feb 16th 2009 9:52AM]

I find the honeycomb pattern very gimmicky, like they wanted to separate themselves from the herd and are trying to find excuses for why it's better. The honeycomb pattern itself offers to significant advantage and the only reason it's more touch friendly is because the buttons are bigger - 3 per row instead of 4. They could've done the same thing with a grid and it would've been the same thing, except for the wasted space. I mean look at that first screen, barely 9 apps are visible at one time. And what's with the "move up/down" options - why didn't they just do it through drag-n-drop? That's just lame.
I'm also not digging the "apps list" screen (3rd in the main pic) with the no-background buttons - it reduces legibility, not to mention limits my choice of wallpapers.

[Wireless @ Feb 16th 2009 10:09AM]

Anyone notice that the pic on the right side of the APP list looks just like the list on a ZUNE? I dodn't know if this has been mentioned or not and of course not a big deal. But that and the announcement that Microssoft was starting the new ZUNE division that was not all "ZUNE" and I see something developing. Maybe like the iPhone and and the Touch. Using variations of the new Windows Mobile, one phone, one for Mid Devices / PMPs? Just a thought

[Bryan Botz @ Feb 16th 2009 10:17AM]

with the lack of an update that sealed the deal I'll never by another Microsoft related phone product again. I can't stand 6.1 and 6.5 was my last hope for the platform. Only other choice I have for a smart phone is RIM until another phone company can move in and compete with Verizon in my area

[james @ Feb 16th 2009 10:24AM]

This is one inconsistent looking and operating os.
humph.
Q4? MS needs this now..

[james @ Feb 16th 2009 10:29AM]

only impressed by one thing.
Thats the gesture unlocking for different operations. (thats nice)

[Macbeth @ Feb 16th 2009 10:36AM]

well, time to hit up my favorite chef's

[superhobo @ Feb 16th 2009 10:55AM]

Looks MUCH better now!

Why don't they change the notification icons on the top?