Spring Break
Microsoft unveils Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system for cell phones
Eric Benderoff, Chicago Tribune
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: News
Microsoft Corp. officially announced on Monday a new mobile operating system for smart phones. Called Windows Mobile 6.5, it will be the latest version of software found on phones from a number of companies, including LG, Motorola and Samsung.
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer unveiled the mobile operating system at a phone industry trade show in Barcelona, Spain.
I recently had a demonstration of the product with Scott Rockfeld, director of Windows Mobile, and my initial impression is that this refreshed operating system looks similar to what T-Mobile offers on the G1, the first phone based on the Google-led Android operating system.
I will reserve judgment until Windows Mobile 6.5 hits the market, expected in the fourth quarter, but I think it will please business users and consumers alike. And pleasing both groups is what Microsoft hopes, and needs, to achieve.
The first Android phone and Apple's iPhone are miles ahead of Microsoft in terms of public interest and usability.
"We're doing a lot of things _ some people would say catch-up _ that appeal to the person who also wants to do some work with their phone," Rockfeld said. "We are at a big inflection point in the market right now."
Microsoft is heading in the right direction. Here's what I found interesting on Windows Mobile 6.5:
The software is "finger friendly," a term Rockfeld uses to describe touch controls.
It has a new user interface so icons can be moved about the display with a finger. The home screen scrolls up and down, revealing more icons. The icons are in a honeycomb design, spaced evenly from one another. The screen looks very orderly.
The home screen in "locked" mode features only key notices _ such as time, upcoming appointments and messages missed _ but that view reminded me of the Android design.
The phone can access the new Windows marketplace for mobile _ just like Apple's App store and the Android marketplace. This service will launch before the release of phones with Windows Mobile 6.5, so existing Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 users can access new applications.
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer unveiled the mobile operating system at a phone industry trade show in Barcelona, Spain.
I recently had a demonstration of the product with Scott Rockfeld, director of Windows Mobile, and my initial impression is that this refreshed operating system looks similar to what T-Mobile offers on the G1, the first phone based on the Google-led Android operating system.
I will reserve judgment until Windows Mobile 6.5 hits the market, expected in the fourth quarter, but I think it will please business users and consumers alike. And pleasing both groups is what Microsoft hopes, and needs, to achieve.
The first Android phone and Apple's iPhone are miles ahead of Microsoft in terms of public interest and usability.
"We're doing a lot of things _ some people would say catch-up _ that appeal to the person who also wants to do some work with their phone," Rockfeld said. "We are at a big inflection point in the market right now."
Microsoft is heading in the right direction. Here's what I found interesting on Windows Mobile 6.5:
The software is "finger friendly," a term Rockfeld uses to describe touch controls.
It has a new user interface so icons can be moved about the display with a finger. The home screen scrolls up and down, revealing more icons. The icons are in a honeycomb design, spaced evenly from one another. The screen looks very orderly.
The home screen in "locked" mode features only key notices _ such as time, upcoming appointments and messages missed _ but that view reminded me of the Android design.
The phone can access the new Windows marketplace for mobile _ just like Apple's App store and the Android marketplace. This service will launch before the release of phones with Windows Mobile 6.5, so existing Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 users can access new applications.
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