Archive for March 27th, 2008

Windows Mobile 6.1 Launch

Published by Babar Bhatti on March 27, 2008 under ICT, Mobile Applications, Mobile Phones

winmobile61.jpg Mobile technology blogs have been reporting about the upcoming version 6.1 of Windows Mobile, likely to be unveiled at CTIA conference next week. In true Microsoft fashion, windows mobile has evolved from a flaky OS with frequent crashes and poor user interface to a more widely accepted OS. Microsoft is working hard to improve the interface and features of windows mobile. iPhone is one of the reasons that windows mobile makeover got accelerated.

I see more and more prototypes being developed on Windows Mobile perhaps because integration with development tools such as visual studio makes it easy to work with. As and end user however, the more important are features and usability.
To that point voice recognition technology from Microsoft has finally improved to a point where its actually usable. I recently tested msn voice search and the performance was reasonable. This remains a hot area for research, obviously. As an example of technology convergence, Microsoft has launched voice-activated SYNC technology for cars which allows you to play a song from your mp3 player collection by saying the name of song and singer. You can also make hands-free calls (no big deal by itself).

Here’s a bit more about the next big release

As far as Windows Mobile 7.0 goes, there are no leaked screen shots as of yet, but big changes are afoot. Microsoft plans to completely redo applications such as Internet Explorer, bringing the mobile browser up to par with Apple’s Mobile Safari. The e-mail and SMS applications are also scheduled for complete rewrites. Microsoft plans to make the user interface even more consumer-friendly.