Microsoft unveils Windows Mobile 6.5 at MWC

Windows Mobile 6.5 has a revamped user interface

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Windows Mobile smartphone software sporting a revamped user interface and enhanced browser. Officially unveiled at the same time are the My Phone web synchronisation service, and an online store for mobile applications known as Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Windows Mobile 6.5, announced today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is the latest incarnation of Microsoft's phone platform. It puts a greater emphasis on ease of use, and introduces some gesture-based controls similar to those seen on platforms such as Apple's iPhone.

The new release is thus a relatively minor update focused on changes to the user interface. A more significant overhaul is to come with Windows Mobile 7, which is expected later this year or in early 2010.

However, even handsets with Windows Mobile 6.5 are not expected until the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Microsoft, and the exact timing will depend on vendors such as HTC and Samsung.

Microsoft also said it is moving to rebrand the platform as 'Windows Phone' in an attempt to more closely associate its mobile software with other Windows platforms in the minds of consumers.

"It's not about the phone alone. It's about the user experience," said Alex Reeve, Microsoft business group director for Windows Mobile.

Reeve claimed that Microsoft's phone strategy is open and enables partners to provide the end products, in contrast to vendors like Research In Motion, which tie buyers into a single source for BlackBerry handsets and server software.

As part of Microsoft's goal of a better user experience, the Windows Mobile 6.5 home screen is a departure from earlier releases. It features hexagonal on-screen buttons forming a kind of honeycomb pattern to access common functions such as phone, email, calendar and web. This design was chosen as an easier target to hit with a fingertip than square buttons, according to Reeve. Users can also swipe the screen with a fingertip to scroll up and down.

The Today screen also shows browser favourites of the user's choosing for speedy access to commonly viewed sites. Local weather information is displayed, and the screen has larger icons for touch activation.

Attention has also been paid to the lock screen, because unlocking the handset is the most frequent user action, Reeve said. This now displays at-a-glance indicators showing whether the user has a new email, text message or voicemail, and swiping one unlocks the phone and opens the relevant application at the same time.

"You swipe the one you want and it takes you straight to where you want to go in one gesture instead of three or four," said Reeve.