1 of 8
eWEEK Labs Takes a First Look at Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5
by Andrew Garcia
2 of 8
Start Menu
Gone is the drop-down Start Menu from previous versions of Windows Mobile, replaced by a full-screen, scrollable display.
3 of 8
Honeycomb
The on-screen icons are designed to be manipulated with the finger—not a stylus—so Microsoft architected the touch zones as wide hexagons (rather than small squares) to compensate for frequent fat fingering.
4 of 8
Scrolling
The Start Menu extends downward from what you see right off the bat, accessible with an upward flick of the finger. In the alpha version we saw, on-screen scrolling was sluggish.
5 of 8
Lock Screen
Windows Mobile 6.5 delivers more information to locked devices. For instance, users can now see their next appointment without having to unlock the unit.
6 of 8
Direct Access
From the lock screen, users can get a sense of what is new on the device. On-screen displays indicate new incoming voicemails, e-mails or text messages. Therefore, users can go directly to the application with new content from the lock screen rather than having to navigate a menu first.
7 of 8
Unlock
Of course, if the users want to create an unlock PIN, they can do so. The device will then require a log-in attempt before diplaying the status-enabled lock screen.
8 of 8
Full Internet
Users can choose between full Web mode (including integrated Flash support) or a mobile-optimized view. To zoom, users need simply to adjust the slider bar on the right, then follow the on-screen markers to finger-navigate to the desired location on the page.
