DailyTech - Windows Mobile 6 Due on Monday

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Software Windows Mobile 6 Due on Monday
Brandon Hill (Blog) - February 8, 2007 10:02 AM

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17 comment(s) - last by abakshi.. on Feb 11 at 9:54 PM

Windows Mobile 6 Standard - image courtesy Engadget

Microsoft to reveal full details of its new mobile operating system on Monday

Windows Mobile 6, previously known as Crossbow, will be officially announced next Monday. The long anticipated update brings a number of new features to the table and helps better integrate smartphones and mobile devices into Microsoft's Windows Live strategy.

As DailyTech noted in a November article, Windows Mobile 6 features 3D icons, full HTML support for emails, .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server support, native VoIP support and Smart Dial 2.0. The operating system will also include updated mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for viewing/editing files.

As is the case with the newly released Windows Vista operating system, there will be numerous versions making the rounds. Consumers will be able to choose from devices featuring Windows Mobile 6 Classic, Windows Mobile 6 Standard and Windows Mobile 6 Professional. According to GeekZone, the breakdown is as follows:

Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone --> Windows Mobile 6 Standard
Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition --> Windows Mobile 6 Professional
Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC --> Windows Mobile 6 Classic

If you'd like to see more of the Windows Mobile 6 operating system, Engadget has posted 46 images of Windows Mobile 6 Standard on its site.

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UPGRADE

By rippleyaliens on 2/8/2007 2:20:02 PM , Rating: 2

Does this mean,i have to have my phone upgraded? Will the installation require a previous installation? If i upgrade will my phone still work, or will i need to change providers? More importantly, since this upgrade, will it ask me, after each number i type, "are you sure"

***joke post***
But seriously,will this upgrade work on existing phones, or will we need a new phone, just to use the smartphone capabilities.

RE: UPGRADE

By DigitalFreak on 2/8/2007 2:23:49 PM , Rating: 2

I doubt you'll be able to get any kind of upgrade for your phone. Historically, the only way to get a new version of Windows Mobile has been to buy a new phone. You may or may not see an upgrade for straight PDAs.

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RE: UPGRADE

By kextyn on 2/8/2007 3:07:18 PM , Rating: 2

There's a 66 page thread on XDA-developers about WM6 on the HTC Wizard (Tmobile MDA.) Several people have already installed it and love it. I can't verify any of it though, but the phones are more customizeable than many think.

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RE: UPGRADE

By retrospooty on 2/8/2007 3:29:33 PM , Rating: 2

correct... To upgrade each carrier has to release a ROM update with the new OS. It rarely happens if ever.

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RE: UPGRADE

By heffeque on 2/8/2007 4:50:23 PM , Rating: 2

Actually... I know a ton of PDAs and some smartphones that HAVE had update ROMs more than once. For example... my Motorola MPx200 came with Windows Mobile 2002 and short after a WM2003 ROM appeared and some time after WM5 was launched, another ROM for the Motorola MPx200 appeared with that OS.
HP has also released updates for some if they PDAs and so has Acer.

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RE: UPGRADE

By retrospooty on 2/9/2007 12:33:42 AM , Rating: 2

True for PDA's, but they are a thing of the past. Its all about smartphones now, and it extremely rare that anyone does it anymore.

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RE: UPGRADE

By kextyn on 2/9/2007 8:34:33 AM , Rating: 2

Not true...just look at all the custom ROMs on xda-developers. I have personally updated my MDA 4 times with different ROMs...and all have worked flawlessly with TMobile.

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RE: UPGRADE

By otispunkmeyer on 2/9/2007 3:47:34 AM , Rating: 2

would i be able to upgrade my dell Axim x51v

its pretty much one of the best PDA's you can buy. 624mhz cpu, lots of ram and storage, intels G2700 graphics chip with its own 16mb of ram and a sweet 640x480 display. i'd like to keep it and upgrade, if at all possible

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Microsoft pissing on a great concept

By outsider on 2/8/2007 4:15:16 PM , Rating: 2

They refuse to acknowledge the Windows Mobile power users. The XScale at 624MHz should have roughly the processing power of a Pentium 3 @ 200Mhz. Coupled with 128MB RAM, 4GB Memory Card as hard drive and a 640x480, those machines are powerful enough to run an OS of the Windows 2000 complexity. Yet all we get is new icons and better support for MS Office files.
Those improvements have nothing to do with the OS!!!

Its a Pocket PC... they should make it more similar to the PC. As it is now, its a mobile phone with a larger screen!

RE: Microsoft pissing on a great concept

By sheltem on 2/8/2007 5:14:53 PM , Rating: 2

Many of the PocketPC phones have battery life issues as it is, let alone with a 624mhz processor.

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RE: Microsoft pissing on a great concept

By otispunkmeyer on 2/9/2007 3:54:40 AM , Rating: 2

well the Xscales are rather easy on the juice, they have some great power save features. in my dell its ramping up n down all the time and they're very low power anyway.

the big killer of the battery really is the LCD back light. its a good thing its uber bright though, becuase i can litterally have it on the one up from off and it'll be perfectly servicable.

also 800mhz xscales are rumoured and apparently they have one running at 1.2Ghz

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iPhone? Pfftttt...

By Enoch2001 on 2/8/2007 2:52:12 PM , Rating: 3

Major new features include:

- HTML support in email
- Windows Live for Windows Mobile
- File transfer capability in Windows Live Messenger
- New versions of mobile Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with rich editing
- Remote wipe capability for stolen and lost devices
- Call history in contact cards
- Tight Vista integration
- "Calendar ribbon" for more easily viewing schedule by day or week
- New versions of .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server built-in
---

With all this, I have no need for a $499 - $599 iPhone! Frankly, I prefer the tangible touch of buttons anyway. Sure iPhone's portable OSX looks cool, and the touch-screen is sweet, but in use I'll wager that Windows Mobile 6 is the preferable platform, especially for business users (hello, Word/Excel editing)!

RE: iPhone? Pfftttt...

By mlau on 2/9/2007 1:45:06 AM , Rating: 2

- HTML Email: IMHO everyone sending those should be shot on sight, as they are one of the reasons so many windows pcs become zombies, and they're vastly larger than a simple
plain-text mail. Last I checked, downloading data via GPRS
is still rather expensive (at least here in europe)

- Noone with a least bit of sanity does excel editing on this
teeny-weeny screen (most pda's STILL have only 320x240 px)
Get one of those UMPCs or a Toshiba Libretto if you want a
tiny office device

- Tight Vista integration: one reason to stay away from CE6 as it will probably take a while until other OSs can sync to it.
- SQL server, WTF?? On a 600MHz ARM? with 128MB ram?

One thing MS still has not addresses is their absolute hoorible GUI. Why the hell does a PDA need a "start" menu?
Usability has always been one of MS' weakest points, and WinCE is no exception (the whole desktop-pc centric usability model does not work for a pda)

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Well

By sprockkets on 2/9/2007 1:13:59 AM , Rating: 2

Questions:

0. Did they fix the issue of alarms not working whenever it feels like? Uh, probably not. But I'm sure you will instead appreciate the new icons.

1. I'm sure IE is still stuck at "level 4" still, even if the icon there looks like version 7.

2. If I select a time period for say, 1 day for email to download off the server, is it actually smart to stop after it finds email after 1 day, or does it still stupidly check the whole inbox still?

3. Can it now actually play voicemails in the typical format of compressed ulaw or alaw wav's?

4. Automatic updates for a PDA? WTF? How many times did you update WM5? Once? And if all PDAs need their own firmware upgrades for each device, how will this work for you?

Don't get me wrong, WM is nice, and Palm is a dumbass for keeping Garnet alive when it should have died years ago; Microsoft has the market to itself. Well, at least here; The east loves linux!

Palm: A $400+ phone should be able to play MP3 ringtones without 3rd party software, and *cough*, multitask! Ever heard of BT 2.0?

RE: Well

By abakshi on 2/11/2007 9:54:19 PM , Rating: 2

AFAIK, the alarm issue is still there.

As for IE, MS hasn't bothered to update Pocket IE in a while, but for those who are actually going to use the web, it really doesn't matter -- Opera is the way to go. It is light-years ahead of IE and Minimo in speed, compatibility, etc. and has multi-tab/window support, download manager, and more.

It's kinda sad to see the state of Palm OS/Garnet today -- MS is now left competing mostly with the likes of Symbian, which are pushing MS towards simpler interfaces for simpler devices (e.g. WM Smartphone) rather than full-featured units.

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Versions

By TomZ on 2/8/2007 2:20:32 PM , Rating: 2

The article mentions the various versions of the OS, and draws a comparison to the different versions available for Vista. But in the case of Windows Mobile, it will be the mobile phone manufacturer and the cellular carrier that will decide which version of Windows Mobile gets put on a particular device. The only choice the consumer has is between purchasing different devices; they can't directly choose a Windows Mobile version.

finally

By jaybuffet on 2/8/2007 5:59:36 PM , Rating: 2

I've waiting for this before replacing my 5yr old phone. I was tempted to get the treo 700wx but knew the new os was coming out soon... i wonder how long till the phones come out