Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones Arrive

Smart phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5, along with an online backup service and application marketplace, will be widely available at retail stores and from cellular carriers on Oct. 6, 2009. Microsoft hopes the launch of a new version of its mobile OS will help it stop recent market share losses to Apple and Research in Motion, but many consumer features found in competitive phones—such as a high-quality digital audio and video player—probably won’t be available until Windows Mobile 7, expected in 2010.

Marketplace Details Revealed

Microsoft has been demonstrating Windows Mobile 6.5 since spring 2009, and the launch announcement contained no significant changes from earlier announcements. Highlights in the new platform include an unlock screen that offers one-click access to certain information (such as recently received e-mail messages), a redesigned home screen and Start menu, and an improved Web browser. To raise the prominence of the Windows brand, Microsoft will refer to phones with the new OS as “Windows Phones” instead of “Windows Mobile,” and the phones will ship with a hardware Start button that will launch users directly to the Start menu.