Windows Mobile 6.5 lands
MICROSOFT IS OFFICIALLY launching Windows 6.5 for phones (as it is now called) today, with several mobiles expected to hit the streets and a plethora of upcoming phones running the OS due to be unveiled later.
As well as boosting performance from glacial speeds to something that may even be considered usable, 6.5 gives users a snappy new user interface and will tie into the launch of the Windows Marketplace, the Vole's own mobile app store.
Also included in the bundle is a new version of the synchronisation software called MyPhone, which lets you back up content like apps, contacts, texts and calendar entries to your PC as well publish photos to social networking sites.
If you sign up to the premium package and some hoodie should nick your mobile or you leave it in the back of a cab after a long night out, you can also use MyPhone to find the device on a map, remotely lock and erase and pop up an 'if found please return to...' message. You can also get the phone to ring loudly, in case you just dropped it down the back of the couch.
This will only be available in the US to begin with, but should be coming to Europe in the not too distant future.
Joining the game so late, Microsoft is going to have a long way to go to cram its Marketplace with as many annoying and pointless apps as rivals like Apple and Google. The Vole reckons it's working with 731 developers and will have over 200 apps available from the get-go, so it won't be long before you can drink your virtual pint and wave your virtual lighter in the air on your Windows phone.
The name change is a precursor to the Vole's plans to essentially scrap its existing mobile operating system and replace it with one that might actually work properly. The new OS is expected to be based on the Windows desktop kernel and offer a completely revamped design. µ
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The story above says "The name change is a precursor to the Vole's plans to essentially scrap its existing mobile operating system and replace it with one that might actually work properly."
That explains why so little has changed on Windows Mobile 6.5. All those little Voles are busy coding away on the new mobile OS that will arrive next year (and everything from MS always runs late).
Trouble is... why would any programmer write code for the present Windows Mobile OS when it will soon be ditched for a different and better OS?
If the Vole wanted to create a totally new mobile OS, it should have been done 8 years ago. Now is too late. Nobody is going to wait for this mystical OS to arrive.
why would any programmer write code for the present Windows Mobile OS when it will soon be ditched for a different and better OS?
Becuase this code on .Net compact framework will work on the new OS also.
Who expects the next version of Windows Mobile to be based on the desktop Windows kernel? I certainly don't. It should be based on Windows CE 6.0, which is already a revamped kernel compared to CE 5.0. The NT kernel is too heavyweight for this purpose. The iPhone OS reportedly requires 'less than 240MB' of the device's flash. Windows Mobile images are usually less than 40MB. 'MinWin' for Windows 7 runs at about 25MB but that's just the OS kernel, it doesn't include any applications - and it can't do graphics.
The thing is, I was told at a conference in 2006 that CE 6.0 had largely been tested by porting the then-new Windows Mobile 5.0 to the new kernel. That WM 6.5 is still based on CE 5.0x, with its 32MB process memory limit, after three more years is embarrassing.
uh, windows mobile will be the dominant os for all mobile devices because of the architecture Microsoft has been building for the last decade. People who bash it have no idea of the ease, power and portability of the framework. While open source has been floundering in a sea of config files, kernel builds, and debugging, Microsoft has quietly built a development framework for the masses. And if you think Apple's kit will hold off Microsoft, uh, two words.... Mac OS. Developers want to actually make money.
Dont write/post for sake of writing like ppl on engadget. Desktop kernel being heavy is not argument. 1GHz is heavy for mobile and any advanced phone OS heavy for 5yr old phone.
Sigularity is is "one size fits all" kernel. fits=scales.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/larus/talks/upenn_singularity.pdf
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/larus/talks/cav08_invited_talk.pdf
Maybe Mobile-Windows-7 will never show up Microsoft would surprise all us saying, u forgot Singularity-OS !?! here is desktop windows7 patch, it will unlock smartphone install option in Installer. Rememeber in windows98 Installer !?! their was specific option for laptops called "Portable"
http://www.directron.com/windows98guide.html
"Portable (Windows will be setup with options that are useful for portable computers)"
I was looking for a traditional Vole family name such as"
"Zune", "Bing" and "Whinge"