Microsoft announced today that it will launch its next-generation smartphone platform, Windows Mobile 6.5, on October 6. On that day, a variety of Windows Mobile 6.5-based phones will ship from numerous device makers around the globe.
"A Windows phone gives people a single phone that works for their whole life, keeping them connected to the people and information they care most about by harnessing the power of the PC, phone, and web," says Microsoft Corporate Vice President Todd Peters.
In the United States, devices made by HP, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, and Toshiba will ship on October 6. Wireless carriers such as AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS, and Verizon Wireless will sell the products to consumers.
Microsoft promotes Windows Mobile 6.5 features like the simpler, touch-enabled user interface and the updated IE-based browser, but the platform has failed to resonate with users and has faltered in the face of heightened competition from the iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry. The software giant hopes to stem the user exodus with this release, though industry observers are skeptical. And those waiting for more than evolutionary changes will need to wait on Windows Mobile 7, which isn't expected until late 2010 at the earliest.
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