Get to know Windows Mobile 6
Truth be told, Windows Mobile 6 (WM6) wasn't a very well-kept secret. Codenamed Crossbow, it succeeds Windows Mobile 5 and offers Windows Vista synchronisation and much more.
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Today screen
So, what's the big deal? Aside from the green, it looks like the same old Today screen of Windows Mobile 5 devices, right? Keep on clicking; there's more, we promise.
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Contacts page, plus call history
With WM6, call history for a contact is now placed on that person's contact page. Of course, you still have the ability to store various numbers, email, Web and street addresses, assign a photo, and more.
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Making calls
Microsoft will again offer two versions of the operating system for mobile phones. However, instead of Smartphone Edition and Pocket PC Edition, they've been renamed to Standard and Professional, respectively. Here is the dial page from WM6 Professional Edition. There will also be a Pocket PC Edition, called Classic, for standalone handhelds.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
New Calendar view
A new feature called the Calendar Ribbon allows you to check your calendar by day view or week view, giving you a quick and easy glance at your schedule.
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Day view
Here's an example of the day view — looks like someone's busy today!
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Week view
Another look at the Week view. At the bottom of the screen, you can see what event you have scheduled at a particular time as well as other information, such as meeting location.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
Meeting request
With Exchange Server 2007, you also can see who is attending a meeting, and forward and reply to meeting requests.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
Outlook Mobile
Microsoft says WM6 offers 'the most genuine Microsoft Office experience', and includes a new mobile version of Outlook. From your in-box, you can see which messages are flagged, marked as high or low importance, and so forth.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
Better email experience
With WM6, you can now view email in its original HTML format and click on live links. There's also an option to dial a number if one is listed within a message. More good news: all WM6 devices will have Direct Push technology for real-time email delivery.
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New email shortcuts
One of the complaints about the Windows Mobile OS has been the number of steps it takes to complete a simple task. Microsoft has added nine new email shortcuts so you can easily reply, delete, move messages, and more.
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Out of Office assistant
You can even set up Out of Office replies right from your device with Exchange Server 2007 integration.
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Windows Live for Mobile
With Windows Live for Mobile, you can access Windows Live services, such as Mail, Messenger and Search. There is now the ability to send pictures, voice clips and have multi-person chats with Messenger as well.
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Internet Explorer Mobile
You can now easily conduct Web searches with the revamped Internet Explorer Mobile and have one-click access to your Favorites and browser History.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
Revamped Mobile Office applications
The new mobile versions of Word (pictured here), Excel and PowerPoint allow you to view and edit documents with original formatting, including tables, images and text. The Standard Edition (formerly Smartphone Edition) will even allow for editing.
(Photo credit: Microsoft)
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