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Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional: the new OS update spotlighted as native part of Toshiba G810
Currently the mobile software platform designed by Microsoft is far from dominating the market, its positions are seriously besieged by the host of Symbian products, even after deducing the various UIQ solutions, the remaining S60 models will easily outnumber WM products in sales numbers and model variety alike. However the potential of WM is very considerable – for a number of years its sales have been growing at a pace greater than any rival could boast. More than 50 companies are now engaged in WM smartphone production, including such A-league members as Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson. Currently the most active WM smartphone developer is the well-known HTC company, which was the first to issue a handset bearing the newest version of Windows Mobile as preinstalled – Touch Diamond originally comes with WM 6.1 on board. Toshiba G810 is the second to follow the fashion.
HTC Touch Diamond and Toshiba G810 - the first PDAs with preinstalled WM6.1
The first PDA to acquire 6.1 was TyTN II by HTC, though it was but a firmware update which introduced WM 6.1 and none of the preinstalled components. That’s why we had to wait until the appearance of first serial models which natively possess the 6.1 version of WM. In this article we won’t content ourselves with mere listing the differences from 6.0 but rather go further reviewing all the standard possibilities like Phonebook, Messages, PIM, Multimedia. This article is meant to be a comprehensive guide on the standard possibilities of all the PDAs based on WM.
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HTC Touch Diamond and Toshiba G810 in live action seen in a Smape.com video
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Microsoft are openly admitting the evolutionary (i.e. uncritical) character of the update, so all the cardinal changes are expected to be introduced in the 7th revision. The fact is largely attested by the major mobile manufacturers as well. The estimated progress from 6.0 isn’t as big as one might guess and mainly touches a number of miscellaneous elements. What is more important, the new version naming system now makes much more sense than the internal AKU indices used to.
The new version naming system adopted by Microsoft gives a more obvious picture of version history, previously AKU indices were largely ignored even by the experts. The new way of version labeling will enable even the least experienced users to navigate through Microsoft’s product portfolio with more understanding. As for the actual benefits brought to you by the new update, those are rather ghostly: a newer version brings neither problems nor any serious fixes or improvements.
How necessary the latest WM update actually is? Should we rush to download it as quickly as possible? In our opinion, it would prove a waste of time rather than a practical move: no critical points are touched by the update, so it isn’t worth the trouble (unless you’re an enthusiast in a constant chase after the edge of technology). The rest of our readers will surely find more satisfaction in looking for cool third-party software so abundant in the WM field, which should make a much better way of spending free time. It is noteworthy that WM 6.1 gives full support to applications originally designed to work with 6.0
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Differences between WM 6.1 Professional and WM 6.0 Professional
The new version of Windows Mobile for PDAs is no revolution, the real changes are expected in the 7th revision which is developed with the ambition to bring Microsoft’s brainchild closer to iPhone. For the time being, the changelog for the 6.1 update is quite modest. We don’t think that a lot of people will get to download it just because it doesn’t affect any critical aspects of functionality. Probably that’s why there was no announcement made at MWC’08 which took place in Barcelona, unlike the pompously celebrated release of 6.0. Here’s a short list of changes:
- SMS-chatting
- Web browser improvements
- Getting Started Center – the newbie’s tutorial
- Improved task manager
- Improved security
- Better interface performance
- Battery life increased by 20%
Note that the Professional version of the firmware (previously known as the Phone Edition) now received much less attention from Microsoft than the Standard issue (previously known as Smartphone). For instance, the Today screen was changed in the latter version while PDAs had nothing changed in this department.
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Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional seen in live action seen on video by Smape.com
As for Professional, here comes a full history of changes from 5.0 to 6.1, the key moments given a detailed description:
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Change Windows Mobile Professional (Phone Edition)
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Version
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5.0
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6.0
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6.1
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Getting Started Center
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X
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Sliding Panel Home Screen
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Windows Default Home Screen
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Today Home Screen
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X
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X
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X
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Threaded Text Messaging
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X
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Exchange Server AutoDiscovery
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X
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Custom Domain E-Mail Setup
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X
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E-Mail Setup Wizard
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X
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X
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Auto-Complete for Recipients
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X
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X
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X
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Direct Push E-Mail for Exchange
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X
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X
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X
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Direct Push E-Mail for Windows Live Hotmail
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X
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X
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Exchange Server E-Mail Search
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X
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X
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HTML E-Mail Support
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X
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X
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Fetch Mail
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X
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X
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Fetch Mail for POP3/IMAP
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X
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SharePoint and UNC File Share Access
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X
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X
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Outlook E-Mail Message Flags
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X
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X
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Smart Filter in Messaging
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X
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X
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Hardware Shortcuts
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X
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X
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Information Rights Management
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X
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X
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Multi-Select Functionality
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X
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X
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X
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View Attendee Status
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X
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X
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Forward Appointments
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X
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X
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Out-of-Office Assistant
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X
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X
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Propose a New Meeting
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X
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X
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Schedule Conflict Notification
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X
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X
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Call History by Contact
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X
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X
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Schedule New Meetings
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X
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X
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X
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Smart Search
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X
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X
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Tasks Synchronization
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X
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X
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X
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Zoom Support
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X
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Page Overview
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X
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Home Page Personalization
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X
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