Neowin (via Wmpoweruser) are reporting that the first Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM has leaked and is available for Blue Angel (O2 XDA IIs, Qtek 9090, T-Mobile MDA III) devices. Apparently the ROM is only beta so it is likely to be missing a few features.
The rom appears to be publicly available via XDA-developers:
Windows Mobile 6.5 features include:
- MSTOUCH(UPDATE)
- TouchRecognizer
- Touch LockScreen
- IE6[IE Mobile8.12Pro]2009 Only for 6.5
- CMHome For WM6.5PRO
- Live For WM6.5
Microsoft are set to unveil WM 6.5 next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Microsoft are also developing Windows Mobile 7 and this is expected for release in the second half of this year. However it has already been delayed and was planned for release the first quarter of this year. I am sure we will see a few more delays between now and the planned release date.
I have previously mentioned (several times) that I was disappointed with Windows Mobile 5 and version 6 as I found them both very buggy with frequent crashes requiring software or worse hardware resets. I have not tried 6.1 but I do hope the new versions improve a lot. I like to see a bit of competition between manufactures and this year does look good for smartphones.
A video of Windows Mobile 6.5 running on BA is after the jump.