14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software company Microsoft has already unveiled to the world its plans to transform its mobile operating system, Windows Mobile, into a more attractive platform, both by making it more user-friendly, and by adding more features and more services into the equation. There are at least two future flavors of the OS that we already know about, namely Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7, one due this fall, the other sometime in spring next year, and some of the changes they are to bring to the mobile phone world have been already unveiled, yet it seems that something more might be heading this way.
The currently available WM 6.1 iteration of the OS is not as great as one might expect, and the upcoming 6.5 flavor is supposed to change things a little bit, though some of the rumors around pointed out the fact that it would include about the same features as the previous version. In case this proves true, and the changes that have been made to the platform include a series of UI improvements and the addition of new services, WM 7 is the next variant we will be looking at when hoping for impressive changes and competitive features.
There are numerous users waiting for the OS to become more attractive, and it seems that there is some good news heading their way, coming from Microsoft, although from another division of the company. In a recent interview with Kikizo, Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development at Microsoft, stated that Xbox was on its way to Windows Mobile, and added that this was a certain fact, although no time frame for the move was given.
“For us, it’s a matter of focusing on ‘when,’ because if we chased after a mobile or handheld opportunity, we would not have the resources and ability to do things like instant-on 1080p HD, Facebook, Twitter, Project Natal. And so we’ve chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we’re building a service in Live that will… extend to other platforms. No question about it. So the question will be, how do we enter into that market – do we do our own device, do we create our own phone – that’s a question for the company itself – do we continue to go down the Windows Mobile path, which is that path that we’re on today,” Kim said when asked about the plans for the mobile space.
Unfortunately, as it always happens when it comes to the great things that Microsoft is to come towards users with, we need to wait. Windows Mobile 7 should be able to enhance the user experience of handset users to new heights, when mainly compared with the previous iterations of the platform, though it should also prove a strong competitor against other mobile OSes available on the market. However, it’s rather uncertain whether Xbox will come to it or not. Hopefully, the move will be made sooner rather than later, even if in the form of a new phone or a service.