Microsoft to release Windows Mobile 6.5 Oct. 6

Microsoft announced that handsets featuring its new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system will arrive at retailers worldwide on Oct. 6. Promising an improved, easier-to-use interface and access to the new Windows Marketplace for Mobile [1] application storefront, Windows Mobile 6.5 will make its U.S. debut on handsets from operators Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint.

According to Microsoft, WinMo 6.5 will include a redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser boasting a new engine and built-in Adobe Flash Lite support for better rendering and completion of tasks. Handsets also will arrive with Windows Live, enabling users to more effectively manage their social media behaviors across services including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

"When we started work on Windows phones, we met with people all over the world who were likely to buy a smartphone and talked with them about what's important to them in their phone," writes [2] Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business general manager Stephanie Ferguson on the Windows Mobile Blog. "Looking at the U.S. market, for example, we found that about 15 million people in the next year will buy a new smartphone. Of the people we talked to, 74 percent listed productivity as the top feature they value in their smartphone. We took this feedback to heart, making the user interface more touch friendly and improving notifications and updates from e-mail, text and calendar items. We also included the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser and added free services like My Phone to help protect data in the event of a lost phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile for access to a wide variety of applications for direct download."

For more on Windows Mobile 6.5:
- read this release [3]

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Microsoft: WinMo 6.5 [4] will trump iPhone on web browsing
Can Windows Mobile 6.5 [5] reinvent the user experience?