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IE Mobile 6 situation on Sprint's Treo Pro explained: it's built on WinMo 6.1 AKU 1.4
Not long ago, Microsoft had taken a stand that "existing devices" wouldn't be offered an upgrade to its significantly improved (read: actually usable) Internet Explorer Mobile 6, arguing that current hardware wasn't capable of supporting the new browser's heft. That ultimately proved to be poppycock as cooked ROMs started coming out of the oven with IE Mobile 6 goodness baked right in -- and now that Sprint's version of the Treo Pro has it even though the GSM version seemingly won't be offered an official upgrade, a whole new explanation is in order. Although it does require 128MB of RAM and a 400MHz core, we've now been told that it has more to do with IE Mobile 6's unwieldy footprint -- it's hard or impossible to bundle it into an easy-to-distribute CAB, apparently -- which makes it a better fit for an entire load of Windows Mobile than an update. Occasionally, Microsoft will freshen an existing version of WinMo with a so-called AKU, and going forward, all 6.1 devices to hit the market (including the Sprint Treo Pro, coincidentally) will use AKU 1.4, which includes IE Mobile 6. So there you have it: prior to 6.5, new devices should be rocking the updated browser, but otherwise, start scanning for a cooked ROM -- knowing the community, they shouldn't be that hard to find.
IE Mobile 6 cooked into custom ROM for HTC Touch HD
While Microsoft won't be handing it out as an update for your WinMo 6 device, ROM cookers are making Internet Explorer Mobile 6 available now. Paul over at MoDaCo has built a custom ROM for the HTC Touch HD that includes IE Mobile 6 -- that's "6 on 6" as they say. Unfortunately, it's only available as a ROM update, not as an invdividual application installer. If you recall, Microsoft said that IE Mobile 6 won't be offered for download, because "the rich media experiences that IE Mobile 6 enables require more powerful, advanced devices." Perhaps in salty salute, Paul's ROM also sets the default explorer search engine to Google. Instructions and tales of caution just beyond the read link. [Via GadgetMix]
Microsoft says no "6 on 6" upgrade for current devices
Answering questions posted by users on Microsoft's official Windows Mobile Team Blog, an employee has laid down a nasty reality check that's going to piss off a user base that's already salty from years of being underserved: Internet Explorer Mobile 6 will not be made available as an upgrade or download for existing handsets. The alleged reasoning is that "the rich media experiences that IE Mobile 6 enables require more powerful, advanced devices," but let's get real here -- competitors like Opera and Skyfire already manage to match what Microsoft's new browser is trying to do and they work like champs on the latest round of hardware. Internet Explorer requiring more horsepower than the Touch Pro or the X1 has to offer? Please, Microsoft -- just give it to us straight, this was a business decision through and through.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Shots of Microsoft's Internet Explorer "6 on 6" emerge, Deepfish gets canned
Microsoft revealed that it was working on pumping some much-needed TLC into Internet Explorer Mobile back in April, and now we're finally starting to see some fruits of that labor -- nothing we can touch and play with just yet, but hey, a few honest-to-goodness screen shots are a solid start. Internet Explorer 6 on Windows Mobile 6.1 -- "6 on 6" as it's cleverly being billed -- features both desktop and mobile browsing modes, and more importantly, it looks like it might actually be packing enough horsepower to handle the content being returned to it in desktop mode. We don't know when 6 on 6 will start shipping on devices (or, even better, be available as an upgrade for current handsets), but considering that virtually every WinMo user loads Opera out of the box, it couldn't come soon enough for Microsoft.In fact, the impetus to get 6 on 6 out the door has taken on an even more urgent undertone, with Microsoft's promising research project Deepfish getting retired at the end of the month. Actually, maybe it won't be retired after all; Microsoft's official Deepfish page says it goes away on September 31, 2008, which -- as best as we can tell from our old-fashioned calendar here, anyway -- doesn't exist.[Via Smartphone Thoughts]Read - 6 on 6 screen shotsRead - Microsoft Deepfish official site
