No Marketplace or Themes for Windows Mobile 6.1

Following a series of good news for Windows Mobile enthusiasts, some not so good reports are coming down the pipe from the Redmond software giant Microsoft. It seems that there is no chance that the Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be available for those who own handsets running under the 6.1 version of the operating system.

In order to be able to access the Marketplace, users would have to run the 6.5 version of Windows Mobile, both Standard and Professional editions. Of course, not all is lost, at least not for those who own a WM-powered handset that packs a 400 Mhz processor or higher, as well as a minimum of 128 MB of RAM, as they will be able to upgrade their platform to the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5, in case the manufacturer of the device agrees with the move.

At the same time, it seems that the recently spotted Themes feature will also be available with Windows Mobile 6.5 only, so one more reason to want to update to the new platform. There are other reasons besides the aforementioned two, including the upcoming Internet Explorer Mobile 6, which is expected to offer an enhanced experience to all users going for the new OS. This means once again that OEMs will be those to decide whether they will offer upgrades for older handsets or not.

However, there is one piece of good news for WinMo users, namely that the recently announced Facebook application will work on Windows Mobile 6.1, both Standard and Professional editions. At the same time, we might also expect the Redmond giant to change its mind about the 6.5 version of the platform, says wmpoweruser, stating that there are some debates in the company concerning the move, so we will have to wait a little before stating that the decision is final.