Microsoft announces worldwide release of WinMo 6.5 smartphones

Microsoft formally announced the coordinated, worldwide release of smartphones running on its new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. The software giant expects its partners to deliver more than 30 new devices in more than 20 countries by the end of 2009.

Microsoft is hoping to trump the successes of Apple's iPhone, RIM's BlackBerry platform and Google's operating system by displaying its global reach of the platform and new features.

Microsoft said that Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser boasting a new engine, and built-in Adobe Flash Lite support for better rendering and completion of tasks--a capability the company has said in the past will make WinMo 6.5 devices better than the iPhone. Handsets also will arrive with Windows Live, enabling users to more effectively manage their social media behaviors across services including Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, according to Microsoft.

Paul Bryan, Microsoft's senior director for business experience, told InformationWeek that WinMo 6.5 aims to focus on the balance between personal wants and corporate needs within the enterprise. For instance, the software maintains a tight integration with Microsoft enterprise software and comes preloaded with software to view Word, Powerpoint and PDF files along with built-in encryption, security and remote-wiping abilities.

At the same time WinMo 6.5 offers consumer applications such as Facebook and Netflix through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile store, which was formally launched with 246 applications in its catalog.

In North America, Microsoft is partnering with three of the four Tier 1 carriers for Windows Mobile 6.5. AT&T Mobility has already announced it will launch the HTC Pure and HTC Tilt 2, and Verizon Wireless has said it will launch the HTC Imagio. Sprint Nextel said it will launch the Samsung Intrepid.

The Intrepid phone will have a 2.5-inch touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, a full Qwerty keyboard and a microSD slot capable of holding up to 32 GB of storage. Sprint will launch the Intrepid Oct. 11 for $149.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. 

For more:
- see this Microsoft release
- take a look at this Sprint release
- read this InformationWeek article

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