CTIA: Microsoft to update Windows Mobile

Microsoft will release an update to its Windows Mobile platform "within a few months", Microsoft's head of mobile announced at the CTIA Wireless conference in Las Vegas.

According to Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices, Windows Mobile 6.1 will be "a critical release... whether you are looking for a consumer or business experience".

The new version of the operating system includes a customisable home screen, making it easier for users to manage email, appointments and calls from their phones, as well as improved device management, through System Center Mobile Device Manager.

Microsoft will also make it easier to set up services on Windows Mobile phones, including automatic "pairing" for Bluetooth headsets, and built-in email settings for 2,600 internet service providers.

According to Bach, the updated interface will make it easier to move between applications and services on Windows Mobile phones, with cut and paste across all applications, and "smart filters" similar to those on the desktop version of Outlook. Windows Mobile 6.1 will also support threaded text messages, making it easier to follow an SMS conversation.

Microsoft is also moving to improve media support on its phone operating system, with a mobile version of its Silverlight media platform and native support for Adobe's Flash. This will allow users to access popular sites such as YouTube directly from a the browser for the first time on a Windows Mobile phone.

The most eagerly awaited feature, however, is likely to be a new version of Internet Explorer Mobile. This, Microsoft believes, will offer a desktop-grade browsing experience on the platform with pan and zoom page navigation and far better support for non-HTML based pages, especially those with rich media content.

Windows Mobile 6.1 will ship on Sony Ericsson's upcoming Xperia X1 mobile handset, while other phones, such as the Samsung Blackjack, will be user updatable to the new OS.

Windows Mobile is now supported by four of the five main handset manufacturers, said Bach.

"20 million devices will ship this year with Windows Mobile. That puts us ahead of RIM and ahead of Apple," said Bach. "A strong part of that is choice: users have the choice of a keyboard or not a touch [interface] or not or whether it is a flip phone or not," he said.

Microsoft later issued confirmation of the timeline for the Windows Mobile 6.1 release.

"Updates and new phones are expected to be available beginning in the second quarter of 2008. IE Mobile will be available to mobile phone partners in the third quarter of 2008 with the first Windows Mobile phones using the new version to be available by the end of 2008," the company said in a statement.

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