14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has been long rumored to be working on a new version of its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, one that surfaced into the wild a few times lately as the Windows Mobile 6.5.3, and now it has finally made an official appearance. Moreover, it seems that Microsoft has also provided a list of new features that users will be able to enjoy with the new platform iteration out there.
A recent article on zdnet unveils to the world what the release notes for Windows Mobile 6.5.3 would include. All in all, it seems that Windows Mobile 6.5.3 indeed comes with what previously leaked ROMs of the operating system iteration have shown: increased touch functionality, ease of use, a series of performance enhancements, visual changes, support for multi-touch, and others more. One thing that is certain here is that 6.5.3 seems to include all the features that 6.5 was expected to come with back in October 2009.
The list of features for Windows Mobile 6.5.3 includes: [admark=1]Ease of Use features * Capacitive touchscreen support * Platform to enable multitouch * Touch controls throughout system (no need for stylus) * Consistent Navigation * Horizontal scroll bar replaces tabs (think settings>system>about screen) * Magnifier brings touch support to legacy applications * Simplified out-of-box experience with fewer steps * Drag and drop icons on Start Screen IE Browser Performance * Page load time decreased * Memory management improved * Pan & flick gestures smoothed * Zoom & rotation speed increased Quality and Customer Satisfaction features * Updated runtime tools (.NET CF 3.5, SQL CE 3.1) * Arabic read/write document support * Watson (error reporting) improvements and bug fixes
The new flavor of Microsoft's mobile operating system has been mentioned officially in the release notes of a new handset from Sony Ericsson, the QWERTY candybar Aspen, a GreenHeart phone, but has been also spotted on various other devices before. The Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M10 is one of them, and the same can be said about the Toshiba TG01 or the Pharos Traveler 137 GPS, which came to CES 2010 with 6.5.3 on board. It shouldn't be long before we learn which already available Windows Mobile 6.5 devices will receive an update to the new OS flavor, but with MWC roughly two weeks ahead, most enthusiasts are looking at WM7, which should be announced at the event.