Today was the day that Microsoft and its hardware partners launched the first Windows Mobile 6.5 phones.
With a Windows phone, people can navigate their phone easily with the touch of a finger and browse the Internet on a great mobile browser. People can also connect to two new services that allow them to back up and share data from their phone to the Web and buy a variety of useful applications from the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Microsoft expects partners to deliver more than 30 new phones in more than 20 countries by the end of 2009.
The latest version of Windows Mobile was unveiled back in February. Windows Mobile 6.5 features a new user interface and an improved browsing experience. It promises to offer an improved Windows Live experience with enhanced photo sharing with social networking sites, a best-in-class e-mail experience with support for multiple accounts and Outlook Mobile and Exchange Server synchronization, a new version of Internet Explorer Mobile with Adobe Flash Lite. It also marked the official launch of Microsoft My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile with more than 240 applications (a net improvement over yesterday’s soft launch).
Microsoft also announced that a number of Windows phones are or will soon be available. Among those are the following:
- North America: HTC PURE and HTC Tilt 2 from AT&T, HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless, Samsung Intrepid from Sprint
- Latin America: Samsung Omnia II from TIM Brasil
- Europe: HTC HD2 from Orange, HTC Touch2 and Samsung Omnia II from Deutsche Telekom and Orange, Toshiba TG01 W from Orange,and many others
- Europe: Unlocked phones include the Samsung Omnia II, Omnia LITE, Omnia PRO B7320, Omnia PRO B7330 and Omnia PRO B7610 all available in October
- Asia: ZTE X60 from China Unicom, HTC Snap, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Touch Diamond2, HTC Touch2, Samsung Omnia II and Samsung Omnia PRO B7320, Omnia PRO B7330, and ohers
I expect that we will soon see announcements about Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrades from different carriers and manufacturers.