Smartphone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

There's no shortage of Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades available for download, so we've compiled and linked to (hopefully) all of them to make searching for that device upgrade just a little bit easier. If you know of any we've missed, hit us with a link and we'll add it to the list.

• Alltel: HTC Touch, HTC PPC6800
• ASUS: P527, P750
• AT&T: Motorola Q9h, Pantech Duo, Tilt,
• Bell: HTC Touch, HTC PPC6800
• HTC: Touch Cruise, Touch Dual, HTC TyTN II,
• i-mate: Ultimate 6150, Ultimate 8150, Ultimate 8502, Ultimate 9502
• Intermec: CN3, CK3
• Motorola: MC7090 (requires a purchased license)
• O2: Xda Mantle, Xda Orbit 2, Xda Stellar
• Orange: HTC TyTN II
• Samsung: BlackJack II (XP, Vista), SCH-i760, SGH-i780 (Europe)
• Sprint: ACE (SPH-i325), Mogul, HTC Touch
• Telus: HTC Touch, HTC S720, HTC P4000
• US Cellular: HTC Touch
• Verizon Wireless: Motorola Q9c, XV6800, XV6900
• Vodafone: v1615

CTIA was where it all happened - the unveiling of Windows Mobile 6.1, the parade of devices running said OS, and the showing off of other bits and pieces that you'd expect to see at a mobile and wireless trade show. Robbie Bach, and a few others, were at CTIA to do the unveiling, so if you're interested in reading or watching the keynote, click here. It's a little over 26 minutes long, or however long it takes you to read a lengthy article, if videos just aren't your thing.

CTIA was Microsoft's playground for the unveiling of Windows Mobile 6.1, and Microsoft's hardware partners certainly weren't afraid to make a showing. Phone Scoop, in their ever-so-thorough ways, have covered CTIA from top to bottom, and there's plenty of Windows Mobile content for your perusal. Obviously, there's coverage of 6.1 and plenty of eye-candy to drool over if you're a Standard (Smartphone) user. Yes, Professional (Pocket PC) users - you have a reason to be jealous. Moving on, there's more eye-candy and a video of the HTC Touch Dual that's set to invade Best Buy stores this quarter. There's Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 in all its glory, and it too is running Windows Mobile 6.1 (a little known fact back when the X1 was first introduced due to NDAs and the like). And then there's a lengthy article on Velocity Mobile, a new entrant into the Windows Mobile market. More on that after the break. Read more...

"Windows Mobile 6.1 was just announced at CTIA yesterday. A bunch of us got together to record a video demoing most of the new features in Windows Mobile 6.1. Check out this 40-minute video that shows:

• Cool devices, including the T-Mobile Shadow, HTC Tilt, Pantech Duo, Moto Q9
• The new Sliding Panel home screen (aka "Bronze")
• All new home screen plugins
• Threaded SMS
• Copy & Paste support for non-touch devices
• New Task Manager
• Clock & Alarms
• Windows Live and Live Search Mobile and more..."

Here is 41 minutes of Windows Mobile 6.1 Glory. Personally I'm eyeing the Pantech Duo as my next device, and it does look sweet with its dual sliders. Which 6.1 device or feature are you looking for?

"The Windows Mobile 6.1 Emulator Images package adds emulator images to Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 that let you test applications for Windows Mobile 6.1. For general information about writing software for Windows Mobile, please see the Windows Mobile Developer Center. The emulator images can also be used as standalone without Visual Studio. They can be accessed through the Start Menu shortcuts."



The Windows Mobile 6.1 localized emulator images are currently available in US English only, which doesn't quite match Microsoft's usual definition of "localized", although you can probably expect that to change over the coming weeks. The Standard (Smartphone) and Professional (Pocket PC) images weigh in at 184.9MB and 272.2MB respectively, and include some new resolutions: 320 x 320, 400 x 240, and 440 x 240 for Standard, and 240 x 400 and 480 x 800 for Professional. Note that the images work standalone, so if you're eager to poke around Windows Mobile 6.1 to see what's new and improved while waiting for your carrier/manufacturer to release an update, this is your ticket. Developers, if you want full integration with Visual Studio, be sure to grab the Windows Mobile 6 SDK prior to installing the images.

"The latest Windows Mobile upgrade brings minor, but very welcome additions to the platform. In this article, we'll cover both the Standard (non-touchscreen) and Professional (touchscreen) editions and show you what's to love about the Windows Mobile 6.1 update. Now, you'll notice this is not a full version upgrade, but just a ".1" upgrade so you know you can't expect a full overhaul. It really feels like just a quick update intended to fill in a couple of gaps between the Windows Mobile and Apple iPhone functionality. You'll notice some similarities between the Standard and Professional operating systems (such as the Internet Explorer and Text Messaging updates), but you'll also notice some odd differences. Read on for our thorough rundown of the next version of Windows Mobile to hit your phone!"


[Windows Mobile 6.1 in the flesh! From left to right - Standard and Professional]

Pocketnow.com has brought us a quick review of Windows Mobile 6.1. This review contains a ton of screenshots and two videos of WM 6.1 in action on both the Standard and Professional handsets! All in all, I'm really excited to get my hands on either a device that is equipped with this new update or a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM image for my Emulator. Oh man, good times! You guys have no idea how relieved I am that this didn't turn out to be a huge April fool’s joke from Microsoft!

You can see the videos (I promise it isn't another Rick Roll) for the Standard platform here and the Professional platform here. Enjoy!

"LAS VEGAS — April 1, 2008 — Helping to propel large-scale mobile phone deployments by businesses, Microsoft Corp. today announced at CTIA Wireless 2008 the immediate availability of System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 and plans for a Microsoft Mobile Services Plan (MMSP) to be available from mobile operators worldwide. Together with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, the software and services provide the best solution for midsize and large businesses to manage and help protect Windows Mobile phones."

Microsoft didn't just stop at Windows Mobile 6.1 today. The company also announced the immediate availability of System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, which together with Windows Mobile 6.1, offers a comprehensive device management solution for organizations using Active Directory/Group Policy. The full copy of the press release can be found after the break. Read more...

Some of Windows Mobile 6.1's biggest enhancements include threaded SMS support and an improved UI, but there's a lot more in it that makes this a significant leap from Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 6. Jump the break for a look at what's new. Read more...

Okay, the jokes are over. This is indeed the real deal. ;)

Windows Mobile 6.1 is here, and there's plenty to digest. Jump the break for the full press release, and watch future posts for a complete breakdown of the new features. Read more...

"The rumors that Windows Mobile 6.1 is going to make its long-awaited official debut next week are flying fast and furious, but if you can't stand the wait, it looks like Boy Genius has managed to score yet another Moto Q9 running the update and he's posted up some deets and a bunch of screenshots. There's nothing too earth-shattering in this latest rev, but there are some minor tweaks from what we've seen before: AT&T's Video Share is now supported, as is TV out, the camera UI and home screen have been refined, there's a new Albums feature in the media player, and photos and videos can now be uploaded to your Windows Live account. Right, nothing major, but that's fine -- the smaller the changes, the sooner the ship date, right? Hit up the read link for tons more shots."



I step away from my computer for two seconds to get a fresh cup of coffee and BAM - even more Windows Mobile 6.1 goodness. It appears that the Boy Genius was nice enough to give us a slew of new screenshots from the much anticipated upgrade of our favorite mobile operating system. Personally, I think being able to upgrade photos and videos directly to your Windows Live account from your handset is a really cool feature and I am glad that Microsoft is starting to integrate more of their services and platforms. As stated above there is nothing earth shattering with this recent tidbit of information but all of the tiny updated features are a huge breath of fresh air for the Windows Mobile platform. Hopefully Microsoft can keep up this momentum and excitement up!

You can check out the Boy Genius Review images by following this link!

"Pocket-lint has learnt from sources close to the matter that Microsoft will announce the much-rumoured refresh to its mobile phone operating system, Windows Mobile, on 1 April 2008. An improvement over Windows Mobile 6 released in February 2007 the new version, unsurprisingly named 6.1, will be a stop-gap measure to keep both consumers and industry happy until the launch of Windows Mobile 7. Leaked screenshots of 6.1 have already done the rounds in the blogosphere, and show the system has been simplified with the screens displaying less mess than the Vista-inspired version 6. A new look with new fonts, new homescreen and new features such as a task manager and copying and pasting in Internet Explorer all bode well for users of Microsoft's OS for handhelds."


[Image courtesy of Boy Genius Review]

Late last year we brought you news and images from BGR's uncovering of a Motorola Q9h running Windows Mobile 6.1. It appears that Microsoft will finally be releasing this Windows Mobile upgrade on April 1st, 2008... Which also happens to be April Fools Day, so heres hoping this isn't some early Internet prank!

"Regardless of the cause, we certainly like the trend of these enhanced touch-screen UIs dominating the high-end cellphone market. Now meet ASUS' GUI slickness destined for their newest touchscreen devices including the ZX1. Starting with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core, ASUS slathers on a new customizable Multi-Home 3D interface meant to simplify access to your today screen, life and business applications. Think HTC's TouchFlo only sexier. ASUS even threw in some "album cover flow" to the media app and the ability to more easily manipulate all your digital media with enhanced figure gestures. You can even drop everything into a visual carousel if that's your preference."


[Video courtesy of Engadget]

As you can see from the video above, this new handset is sporting one amazing graphical user interface. Granted this is a Windows Mobile Professional device and we usually report on things in the Standard world but this is one of those rare times when a product is so cool we just have to cross that barrier. With Samsung's cool carousel based homescreen that we discussed last year as well as HTC's release of their TouchFLO technology as well as the T-Mobile Shadow improved user interface, I think it is safe to assume that we should start seeing more custom GUI's being developed by handset manufacturers. This is a giant leap in the right direction for consumers who for years were forced to use the stagnate default Windows Mobile interface which was been a far cry from being user friendly.

So now that you have seen the video, I would love to hear what you guys thought about it. Personally, I see this as a few of the baby steps we will take on the road to the golden age of Smartphone usability. Now let us just hope that the manufacturers as well as Microsoft can keep the momentum going.

"Publicly disclosable details about the future of Windows Mobile are still sparse, but we can let the door open a bit wider on what was shown at this year's Mobius with regard to the next two versions of Windows Mobile. We all know that 6.1 is around the corner, but it's the next two versions beyond that which are really interesting. Post-6.1, WinMo will indeed have its app suite revamped, including a desktop-grade port of IE to Windows Mobile, which Microsoft is replacing pocket IE with and directly targeting mobile Safari. Likewise, the rest of the consumer-centric apps (photos, media, etc.) as well as the messaging suite will be upgraded to be a bit friendlier. This whole experience won't be too foreign to long-time users, but is the next step in the right direction."



Ryan Block of Engadget fame has given us a little of the inside scoop of what to expect from the upcoming releases of Windows Mobile. Besides the replacement of Pocket Internet Explorer, which was long overdue, it appears that Microsoft is finally starting to take the pleading cries of their customers seriously. For years we have been begging for "duh"-like features for the Standard platform and for years Microsoft has slowly trickled them out in the most sub-par ways possible. A perfect example of this would be Office Mobile. While Office Mobile throws us miles ahead in the right direction of where Windows Mobile Standard users have wanted to be for years, Microsoft still managed to shoot the application in the foot by removing the ability to actually create new documents. It seems as though Apple's iPhone has managed to finally light a fire under the rump of Microsoft in the same ways Netscape did many years ago. Whether or not Microsoft actually pulls through with these pseudo-promised changes to our favorite mobile operating system is still up in the air, but so far the future looks auspicious.

"Can’t believe we missed this! The brand new Motorola Q9 with Wi-Fi we just got? Yeah, that has Windows Mobile 6.1 on it! We’re getting the video up soon, but for now, check out our full Windows Mobile 6.1 gallery, and the new things we found!"

Wow! Double wow! The recent Mobius related posts had mentioned the existence of Window Mobile 6 update, and we knew that we would be getting some more details soon. But I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly. The first big news item is that Motorola is working on an AT&T branded Q9 with Wi-Fi, you can check out the details in this Boy Genius Report post. The even bigger news item is that it is running Windows Mobile 6.1 Beta. It features a new home screen with left-right scrolling for missed calls, emails and other functionality. Head over to this post for more details. After checking out the screenshots, we can agree with the Mobius attendees about their comments. It is true that Windows Mobile 6.1 features a lot of must-have features and improvements, like copy-paste, threaded SMS, recent programs in start menu, auto-complete for To: field while composing emails and much more. It also has something called the Getting Started wizard, that I am sure will make newcomers to the Windows Mobile world feel comfortable. I am super excited about the features I have seen so far, and can't stop wondering the improvements that might be in the Internet Explorer. Unfortunately the Q9 with Wi-Fi comes with Opera pre-installed, so we will have to wait a bit longer to uncover the Internet Explorer improvements. So what do you like the most about the Windows Mobile 6.1 feature set?