Windows Mobile 6.5 Ready Updates

The wait for new Windows Mobile 6.5 is over. Microsoft developers working on Windows Mobile 6.5 have divulged the news that the work on Windows latest mobile operating system has finally finished. However, it is unclear whether the new system has enough potential to face the smartphone competitors. The news came as a tweet from the Windows Mobile team spilling the beans. The revamp of Windows Mobile 6.5 had been announced by Steve Ballmer in GSMA Mobile World Congress 2009. The mobile operating system was to be released at Microsofts TechEd conference last week.

The Twitter message posted by Microsoft developers read

For the record, Windows Mobile 6.5 is DONE… complete… looks really good IOHO and every bit functional. ping us if u want to know more,

The information on Windows Mobile 6.5 was confirmed by a Microsoft spokesperson,  who announced that it was released to the manufacturers. According to the spokesperson, 20 phone makers and mobile operators, including HP, HTC, LG, Acer, Orange and Toshiba have signed to support Windows 6.5. He added Microsoft expects to launch the Windows Mobile 6.5 phones in the second half of the year.

The Windows Mobile 6.5 would be far better than 6.1 with a number of upgrades. Some of the new features in the Windows 6.5 includes

• Direct links to voice mail, email, etc. from the lock screen
• Finger gesture driven UI for menus, emails, phone etc
• New desktop-like browser
• Support for Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile
• Widget support
• Integrated My Phone service to back up your data to an online account
• Support for Office 2007 file format

Windows Mobile 7 has been repeatedly delayed and devices are expected to arrive not before spring 2010. Microsoft is lagging behind the rest of the smartphone market. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has acknowledged the need for faster Windows Mobile development.

Windows Mobile has a stronghold in the mobile market with decent sales figures to end users. According to sources, Windows mobile covered 11.8 percent of the market in 2008, compared to 8.2 percent for the iPhone, 16.6 percent for BlackBerry, and Symbian mobile’s 52.4 percent.

Clearly Microsoft is facing a tough competition with iPhone and BlackBerry  gobbling up the consumer market. Google’s Android phones are attracting the mobile manufacturers with its lower cost.

Microsoft’s much talked about Pink smartphone project, which was supposed to run Microsoft software running on third party devices. Initially, it was intended to tap into the underlying technologies of Windows Mobile 7. The unexpected delays in Windows Mobile launches have forced the developers to use other, less advanced Microsoft technologies. According to the sources this move can be anticipated to put the future of Pink smart phone in ambiguity.