Windows Phone Thoughts: Is this Windows Mobile 6.5.1?

"Most of you probably know by now that Windows Mobile 6.5 is not the be all end all Microsoft mobile operating system. However, what you might not know is that Microsoft has already up its sleeves another revision of Windows Mobile 6 - unofficially dubbed by the enthusiast community as 6.5.1 - that's faster, sleeker, more touch-friendly and in my opinion, a much better upgrade than 6.5."

Windows Mobile 6.5.1 screenshots courtesy Patrick/OSNN.net

It seems that when it rains leaks, it pours leaks - and above we have what is rumoured to be Windows Mobile 6.5.1 - or, really, it's 6.5.next. No one knows the version number, but it's clearly an evolutionary step from Windows Mobile 6.5. And now that I finally have my hands on a Windows Mobile 6.5 device - thanks to AT&T and HTC - I can see first-hand how badly this is needed. When I powered up the device the first thing I did was change the time zone - and was dismayed to see the same tiny user interface I've seen for over a decade. Over a decade you might be saying? I kid you not, the size of the drop-down menu and other UI elements are the same as they were on the Phillips Velo 1 twelve years ago in 1997. That's beyond ridiculous, but Microsoft seems to have been caught unaware by this whole "finger" thing and now they're playing catch-up in a big way.