14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft launched at the beginning of October the 6.5 flavor of its Windows Mobile operating system, yet the work on the platform hasn't stopped there. The company already confirmed the development of Windows Mobile 7, the next major version of the OS, yet it seems that it will also make available another flavor, dubbed Windows Mobile 6.5.1.
No official details on this operating system variant have emerged so far, yet most of you might already be accustomed to hearing about a series of leaked Windows Mobile 6.5 builds that show the progress on its development. The latest such build that made it into the wild is Windows Mobile 6.5 Build 23081, and it comes only with a series of appearance improvements, it seems.
The guys over at Pocketnow have put up a video that shows the changes the new Windows Mobile 6.5 build comes around with, and you can see the clip at the bottom of this article. Some of these changes include much nicer check boxes throughout the operating system, a smoother scroll bar, as well as modifications to the button style. A few more details can be found on WMPoweuser, here.
At the same time, the new Windows Mobile 6.5 Build 23081 is also said to come with improvements in the contacts application and with some changes in the time stamping in the SMS app. Also worth mentioning here is a different “button in calendar that jumps to today.” Basically, it seems that the build is mainly focused on the visual appearance of the OS, and that there are no performance improvements worth being noted.
The Windows Mobile 6.5 Build 23081 can be considered yet another step towards the market availability of Windows Mobile 6.5.1, something that might occur in the second quarter of next year, if previous estimations are correct. As it always happens with these builds, you might be able to find cooked ROMs available for download for WM-based handsets, though you shouldn't go for them unless you are familiar with the installation process.