14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is set to release the next iteration of its Windows Mobile platform, the WinMo 6.5, in the near future, and it already promised a series of new design improvements compared to the previously available versions. Some of these graphical enhancements have already been spotted, yet there are also some that have ended in dust, as one can easily imagine.
According to Long Zeng from istartedsomething, a Chinese Microsoft enthusiast blog, LiveSino.net, recently published a series of links to some of the design concepts for Windows Mobile 6.5's user interface and not only. The ideas, it seems, come from the Microsoft Advanced Technology Center (ATC) Studios in Beijing, the guys behind the user experience design of Windows Mobile.
While these concepts have never been released to the public until now, it seems that they have no chances to come to life with future iterations of Microsoft's mobile platform, as Windows Mobile 6.5 was the last project these guys worked on. Even so, the upcoming Windows Mobile 7 is expected to look somewhat more like what the photos below show, though users will probably be able to find some reminiscences of these concepts in WinMo 6.5 as well.
Some of the most attractive concepts, we learn, come from zerode, a user experience designer at the ATC. The UI concepts that can be seen here are extraordinary, and it seems that Microsoft already tried using some of the ideas in recent efforts like the Sliding Panels on the T-Mobile Shadow. At the same time, not all of the concepts have been designed for Windows Mobile alone, as they are meant to enhance the mobile experience on other devices too.
Other series of concepts come from Robin Zhu, and they are also as impressive as they can be. Unfortunately, not all of them will see the light of day on our devices, and there are no details on why things are this way. Given the fact that they are not meant only for Windows Mobile phones, we can hope that some makers will include them in future devices, for they indeed look great.
