14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software company Microsoft is preparing to launch a new version of its operating system for mobile phones, the Windows Mobile 6.5. Given the fact that the platform will soon be here, as it has been announced to come to the market sometime in the third quarter of the year, the interest in it is continuously growing.
The new version of Windows Mobile is expected to deliver to users a wide range of improvements over previous releases, as well as a better-looking user interface and the possibility to make numerous customizations when it comes both to its looks and the applications that one would be able to run on the platform, due to the included support for the upcoming Windows Marketplace for Mobile. However, we should not forget the fact that end-users are also interested in the phones that will come to the market running under the aforementioned OS.
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, stated last week at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show, “We expect all the major operators to continue to support Windows phones going forward. In fact, by this fall, when Windows Mobile 6.5 releases, we'll have over 10 phones available in the U.S. alone, and you'll see that number continue to grow.”
Said line of Windows Mobile 6.5-supporting devices will include the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2, two handsets that have been announced since the MWC show in February, and there will also be the Elektrobit Satellite phone, which should come with the OS. In addition, a wide range of existing Windows Mobile 6.1 devices are also slated for upgrade to the upcoming platform, and among them we can count the HTC Touch Pro, the AT&T Fuze, and the HTC Touch Diamond.
For what it's worth, there will indeed be three new mobile phones released with the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform on them, yet it is uncertain whether more such phones will come out later this year, or the “ten phones” Robbie Bach mentioned also include the upgradeable ones. There are some companies that announced their support for Windows Mobile this year, such as HP or LG, but no details on upcoming devices from them made it into the wild yet.
Until more info on this surfaces, you might want to check out the video below to take a look at the Toshiba TG01, which was caught on camera running under Windows Mobile 6.5, for it might be one of the ten.