Microsoft Windows 6.5 hasn’t been with us for long but it seems it could be due for a little tweak. A rejigged UI which may be called Windows Mobile 6.5 Second Edition has been spied. But why the changes?
The redesigned Windows 6.5, which mobile obsessive’s site Mopocket claims a Microsoft source confirmed is genuine, is apparently intended to make the OS work more easily with capacitive touchscreens.
The issue for Windows Mobile 6.5 is accuracy – resistive touchscreens using a stylus allow far more precision than capitative ones that let you prod them with your fingers.
While capacitive Windows Mobile 6.5 devices already exist, most notably the HTC HD2, they’ve usually had to stick a skin like HTC’s TouchFlo over Windows Mobile to make it truly touchable.
The biggest change to Windows Mobile 6.5 is moving the clickable buttons from the top bar to a larger, more finger-friendly control menu at the bottom of the screen.
The menu looks a little rough around the edges at the moment which suggests the Windows Mobile 6.5 UI redesign is not quite finished yet.
Mopocket’s source at Microsoft suggests that the redesigned Windows Mobile 6.5 UI may not actually be released as an update but could be made available as an alternative version for capacitive touch screen devices.
Do you think Microsoft has it in for Windows Mobile 6.5 skins? And why update Windows Mobile 6.5 with Windows Mobile 7 already spotted?
TBA | £free | Windows Mobile (via Mopocket)
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