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What's New in Windows Mobile 6?
Windows Mobile 6, released in February 2007, is the latest operating system for mobile devices
that use the Windows Mobile platform as opposed to, for instance, the Symbian platform.
By mobile devices I mean:-
Pocket PCs (a PDA with a SIM card), or
SmartPhones (a shirt-pocket friendly phone with with extra
"smarts" such as Direct Push email.
The articles in this website often use the term SmartPhone to encompass
all these devices.
If your SmartPhone isn't brand new, but is less than 18 months old, it's
likely to be a Windows Mobile 5 device.
So what does WM6 do that WM5 doesn't, and do you need to rush out and buy a new WM6 replacement?
Unlike PCs, it's usually impractical to upgrade the operating system on a SmartPhone.
WM6 is an evolutionary, not revolutionary, step
on from WM5 so there should be no learning curves to climb. You
could well pick up a WM6 device and not notice any difference.
Windows Mobile 6 Professional and Standard Editions
You may be dismayed that Windows Mobile 6 has apparently splintered into the poor
man's and rich man's version but in fact WM5 also came in 2 versions,
the Pocket PC and SmartPhone editions, and the WM6 Professional and
Standard versions directly map to these WM5 versions - if anything,
there are now less differences between the 2 versions.
Specifically, the differences are:-
1 - |
The standard version doesn't have a touchscreen interface. |
2 - |
The standard version can only read and edit Office
documents but not create new ones (OK, there is a simple
workaround for this).
Remember that WM5 for SmartPhones didn't
even have the mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. |
3 - |
The standard version doesn't have a spell-checker. |
4 - |
The standard version doesn't have the Remote Desktop client. |
Calling the WM6 editions Professional and Standard implies a
first-class, second-class snobbery: "Will Sir be wanting the
Professional of Standard version?"
However, each edition suits a different purpose.
If you want a pocket-sized computer with phone capabilities then you get a Pocket PC, but if you want a standard-sized
mobile phone that's great for email and OK for web browsing you get a SmartPhone. I'm in the SmartPhone camp myself.
Each type of device will come with the appropriate version of WM6 installed, you're
never asked to choose and it would be foolish to install the wrong version.
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What are the Enhancements and Improvements of WM6 over WM5?
I don't count the Vista-like makeover to the icons plus translucent effects.
The following table summarises the extra thing WM6 can do:
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HTML-formatted emails are rendered correctly, including embedded graphics |
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You can now search across multiple applications |
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The SmartPhone (Standard) version now has Office
applications and more keyboard shortcuts to help with the lack of a touchscreen |
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The storage card can be encrypted. This means that, in
combination with Remote Wipe, a lost or stolen SmartPhone won't mean any leaked company data. |
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Windows Live is fully incorporated, including Messenger, Mail and Search |
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There are enhanced email options, when used with an Exchange server, such as
ability to search your whole mailbox and set an out-of-office message. |
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Windows Update - Microsoft says to only expect very
occasional updates. |
I guess that you will be attracted by at least one of the
above features.
The next table shows more subjective improvements,
discovered by actually using a WM6 device:-
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On similar hardware, WM6 runs significantly faster than WM5.
Web Browsing seems to run twice as fast. |
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More stable. Soft resets are required much less often than with WM5 |
If you were happy with your WM5 device before you read this article, you probably aren't any more - sorry!
While there's no need to replace a perfectly functional WM5 device, it's inevitable, knowing
about WM6, that we'll start planning and scheming how soon we can get
our hands on a shiny, new Windows Mobile 6 SmartPhone.
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