Windows Mobile 6.1–New Update

Microsoft recently introduced Windows Mobile 6.1, an upgrade of the Windows Mobile operating system. It adds new features and capabilities to the previous (6.0) version, enhancing your Web browsing and day-to-day use of Windows Mobile. It also adds new features and capabilities of interest to the enterprise users. This article looks at some of the more important enhancements.

Figs. 1 & 2: Getting Started main screen (touch screen left, non-touch screen right).

New Getting Started app

The new Getting Started application is accessed in the Programs folder on touch screen devices and from the Start menu on non-touch screen smartphones. Select the Getting Started icon to display topics of interest to new users (Figs. 1 & 2). The user selects the desired topic from this list to learn more about the features and capabilities of their device (Fig. 3 & 4).

Figs. 3 & 4: Getting Started individual tip screen (touch screen left, non-touch screen right).

The topics include Make a call, Set date and time, Set up e-mail,

Set up a device password, Set up a Bluetooth headset, Set background on the Today or Home screen, Set ring tone, Transfer music, and Add/remove Getting Started (which removes the Getting Started icon from the Today/Home screen, but does not remove the feature from the device).

 Home screen's Sliding Panel

Fig. 5: Non-touch screen smartphones have a new Home screen with a sliding menu.

Microsoft enhanced the Home screen on non-touch screen smartphones to include a "sliding panel" option (Fig. 5). As with earlier versions of the OS, the Home screen displays the date, time, upcoming appointments and tasks, and other information. However, the new option slides a virtual magnifying panel over these elements as you scroll down the page, enlarging them and making them easier to read.

Improved Messaging

Microsoft has made some significant enhancements in the Messaging application. For enterprise users Microsoft added Exchange Auto-Discovery, which makes it easier to set up synchronization with Exchange. Users are now able to download e-mail from all accounts at the same time. Microsoft added auto-complete for e-mail recipients, which makes it easier for users to enter e-mail addresses on small keyboards and touch screens. Also, Windows Mobile 6.1 added the ability to select multiple e-mail items in the list so you can easily delete or move e-mail. Finally, Windows Mobile 6.1 includes optimizing the bandwidth utilization for Exchange, POP3, and IMAP4, which is very important to enterprise wireless data users.

Figs. 6 & 7: Internet Explorer Mobile's new Zoom feature, as seen on a non-touch screen smartphone. The left screen shows the thumbnail (Zoom Out) view of the Web page with the outline of the zoom selection box superimposed over a portion of the screen. The right screen shows that portion of the screen zoomed in on.

Enhancements to Internet Explorer Mobile