14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Mobile, the operating system Redmond-based software giant Microsoft delivers to the smartphone market, is somehow shrouded in mystery when the future of the platform is in question. Up until now, the talk around the web has been focused on two upcoming versions of the OS, namely Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and Windows Mobile 7; yet, now reports suggest that the company is set to unveil a Windows Mobile 6.6 flavor as soon as February is here.
According to news site DigiTimes, “industry sources” state that Microsoft is working on the launch of Windows Mobile 6.6 (codenamed Maldives) in February 2010, and that the move should offer it the possibility to better compete against Google's Android and Apple's iPhone platforms. “Sales of Windows Mobile 6.5 have been flat since the platform was launched in the fourth quarter of 2009, pushing Microsoft to bring forward Windows Mobile 6.6, which supports capacitive touchscreens, the sources noted,” DigiTimes states.
At the same time, the news site reiterates previous rumors regarding the delay of Windows Mobile 7 into 2011, even if it has been originally planned to arrive on the market before the end of the ongoing year. Considering that Microsoft executives have already stated that the company will make an announcement regarding Windows Mobile next month, the obvious conclusion is that the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is the place where it will all happen.
However, there are a few things that do not match here, including the fact that most of us were actually expecting for a Windows Mobile 6.5.3 iteration to be announced, and not WM 6.6. The former already made an appearance on various devices at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, and the description of WM 6.6 seems to be on par with what we know about WM 6.5.3, which might suggest that we're looking at the same OS. Since the 6.5.3 version has been already mentioned on MSDN, it's very likely for this OS flavor to arrive with this version number, and not 6.6.
Most of you might know by now that Microsoft was reported not too long ago to be getting ready to unveil Windows Mobile 7 details at the upcoming event in Barcelona, and pushing the OS back to 2011 is something that doesn't fit this bill. One way or the other, with Microsoft keeping mum on future WM flavors, we'll have to wait for February to arrive to see what they have planned for us.