Windows Mobile 6.5 has made significant enhancements to business productivity, consumer messaging, and mobile Internet. It focuses on key areas to help partners target professionals and also target new consumer messaging positions for Windows Mobile.

Areas of focus include the following:

New visual style for Windows Mobile Professional

The visual style of Windows Mobile 6.5 has received significant updates, particularly for Windows Mobile Professional. The new design of Windows Mobile Professional is focused on touch. The new Start screen has a touch friendly pattern that is fun and interactive as the user taps, flicks, pans, and scrolls.

A new Lock screen lets users interact with user interface elements and view some notification data without having to enter a simple PIN.

Mobile Internet

Browser improvements, widget framework support, and rich Internet application (RIA) support allow partners to add applications on the Start screen, thereby enabling an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to differentiate itself from competitors.

Developer value proposition

OEMs, mobile operators, ISVs, partners, and third-party developers can now optimize experiences on the phone by using developer portals, tools, widgets, custom icons, themes, and backgrounds.

Furthermore, Windows Mobile 6.5 offers the ability to do the following:

• Differentiate phones and build customer loyalty through co-branding, user experience (UX) customization, and software and hardware extensibility.
  
  
• Display the mobile operator name based on information stored in the SIM card, and display current roaming status. This reinforces the mobile operator brand and helps eliminate surprise roaming charges for customers.
  
  
• Customize devices to meet your needs with greater flexibility. Windows Mobile 6.5 provides several new features and lets you extend and customize many elements.
  
  
• Create dynamic themes that match branding.
  
  
• Add any application or service, even if it duplicates a Microsoft feature.
  
  
• Implement new and different ways to build mobile operator and OEM brands by increasing awareness and reducing costs. Microsoft Services teams can introduce you to revenue growing and cost reducing opportunities.
  
  
• Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a more compelling, competitive experience for businesses and consumers.
  
  

Although Windows Mobile 6.5 contains new and different features and functions, it also improves the fundamentals, including the following:

• Significant improvements in overall stability, battery life, and performance, which can increase customer satisfaction and reduce returns.
  
  
• The ability for users to switch between Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) without rebooting the device. This is a necessary feature for business power users who need broad international coverage.
  
  
• Added support for digital TV tuner and display of HDTV content for 480x854 and 480x864 pixels at 192 dpi.
  
  

Messaging

Users can now stay up to date with a rich messaging experience.

When used with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Windows Mobile 6.5 automatically discovers Exchange Server settings for company e-mail.

When using the future release of Exchange, Microsoft Outlook Mobile users will be able to manage e-mail messages more efficiently and take advantage of the following capabilities:

• A conversation view lets them quickly triage mail.
  
  
• A voice-to-text translation accompanies each voice mail so that they can better triage incoming information.
  
  
• Reply and forward flags let them quickly see what they have already replied to.
  
  

Rich HTML mail is supported across various versions of Microsoft Exchange.

Contacts are automatically updated if users have the next version of Outlook on their desktop and it is connected to Exchange and their device. Contact pictures are displayed in messaging views and on contact cards.

On Windows Mobile 6.5, Office Communicator lets users stay in touch with work contacts. Users can also use one business number for all business contacts, and they can forward calls to their device to pick up or leave voice mail.

Services

Windows Mobile 6.5 includes support for several new services. These services offer partners revenue growth opportunities or cost savings:

• Marketplace lets customers expand their phone's capabilities through powerful software.
  
  
• Windows Live services let users stay up to date with a rich messaging experience, including the familiar Windows Live Messenger and push e-mail for their Windows Live Hotmail account.
  
  
• MyPhone is a new service that lets customers easily back up and manage phone information and allows them to access information from any personal computer as well as their phone.
  
  

Personalization

New capabilities help make the phone personal to the user. For instance, the users can:

• Personalize their phone with exciting new applications, ring tones, and themes.
  
  
• Go wireless with full stereo Bluetooth headphone support.
  
  
• Use personal photos for photo contact cards and for the Home screen background.
  
  
• Easily transfer music and video to their phone using Windows Media Player, and choose widgets to display on the Start screen.
  
  

Using only their fingertips, users can personalize their Start screen. They can set a favorite in Internet Explorer Mobile and then add it to the Start screen, or list their favorite Web sites on the Start screen directly.

Partners can make further refinements to help deliver the best customer experience.

Most changes affect the code for Windows Mobile Professional. However, there are some improvements to the code for Windows Mobile Standard.

For more information about the new functionality in Windows Mobile 6.5, see the following What's Newtopics.