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Mobile phone match-up

How do the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 features compare to those of older versions?

Windows Mobile 6.5 makes it easier to stay connected and manage your busy life - from just about anywhere. Now you can see why your phone has been buzzing or beeping in your pocket with just a glance, even if your phone is locked. You’ll see new e-mail and text messages, missed calls and voice mail notifications, along with the date, time and next calendar appointment. You can go right to that new text message so you can respond quickly and get on with your day.

Other enhancements include the latest Internet Explorer Mobile, which lets you browse the web just as you do with Internet Explorer on your PC.1 The new customisable Today screen lets you access your favourite programmes with a single touch. Plus, with the new Microsoft My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile services, you can back up your data to the web easily and download apps that help you do more, be more productive and have more fun on the go.1

Windows Mobile 6.5 runs on a growing variety of phones, including touch-screen phones with slide-out keyboards, sleek full-keyboard smartphones and compact flip phones. The following table compares Windows Mobile 6 versions, highlighting the new enhancements to Windows Mobile 6.5.
Feature Windows Mobile 6.0 Windows Mobile 6.1 Windows Mobile 6.5 What does it do for you?
  Standard (non-touch screen) Pro (touch screen) Standard (non-touch screen) Pro (touch screen) Standard (non-touch screen) Pro (touch screen)  
Ease of use
Getting Started     X X X X Get help setting up your new phone - from e-mails to a Bluetooth headset, so you can start using it right away.
Today screen   X   X   New! The new Today screen in Windows Mobile 6.5 makes it easy to get to the information that matters most to you, with a touch of your finger.
Designer themes           New! Customise your phone by re-skinning it with exclusive themes designed by well known artists and fashion designers. Or create your own theme on your PC and have it sent right to your phone.
Lock screen           New! The new lock screen displays new messages and appointments without requiring you to enter a PIN when the phone is locked, and still provides access to critical functions - like mute, speakerphone and hold - while you’re on a call.
More applications
Microsoft Office Mobile2   X X X X X Compose and edit Office documents.
MSN Widget3         New! New! The new MSN Widget provides real-time information on weather, shares, sports scores and more.
Social networking apps3 X X X X X X Facebook for Windows Mobile and MySpace Mobile let you manage your accounts and add content while you’re on the go.
NewsBreak Lite by Illium3         New! New! The NewBreak Lite RSS feed reader lets you keep up to date on your favorite blogs and news sites. Stay informed even when you’re out on the town.
More services
Windows Live for Windows Mobile X X X X X X Access Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger from your phone, to stay in touch anywhere.
Bing 411 X X X X X X Find cinema times, search for the cheapest petrol prices, view maps, check traffic and more.
Microsoft My Phone3 X X X X X X Use the new My Phone service to sync your phone and data online, so it’s always backed up and accessible.
Windows Marketplace for Mobile3 New! New! Expand your phone’s horizons - find and download the latest apps for your phone.
Better mobile messaging
Threaded text messaging     X X X X When you text, the messages are threaded together into a single conversation, so you can view the entire conversation as you type.
Conversation View4         New! New! The new Conversation View gathers multiple e-mails into a single threaded view for easy reading.
Unified messaging4         New! New! Now you can listen to your Exchange-delivered voice mails and read the transcript.
Nickname cache4         New! New! You can access previously used names quickly when writing new e-mails - no more scrolling through contacts.
Reply/Forward indication4         New! New! New icons identify which e-mails have been forwarded and replied to, helping you manage your inbox.
Exchange Server auto discovery4     X X X X The E-Mail Setup Wizard takes you directly to the Exchange ActiveSync e-mail setup, so you can start getting your work e-mail on your phone.
E-Mail Setup Wizard X X X X X X Now it’s easier to find and set up e-mail messaging settings for Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile, as well as for other e-mail service providers, including Google Mail, AOL and Yahoo!
Auto-complete for recipients   X X X X X Want to send an e-mail, but don’t remember the address or don’t want to wade through past mail to find it? Just type a few letters of the name and view the nearest matches in a drop-down menu.
Direct-Push E-Mail for Exchange5 X X X X X X See your messages as soon as they arrive from the e-mail server without performing a manual or scheduled Send/Receive.
Direct-Push E-Mail for Windows Live Hotmail6 X X X X X X View Windows Live Hotmail messages as soon as they arrive from the e-mail server, without performing a manual or scheduled Send/Receive.
Exchange Server4 X X X X X X Search e-mails by specific words, subject matter and more.
HTML e-mail support X X X X X X Mail shows up on your smartphone just as it does on your PC - with all the colours, photos and formatting. Receive, view, write and send e-mail in HTML format (for Exchange 2007, Hotmail and POP/IMAP accounts such as Google Mail, AOL and Yahoo!).
Fetch Mail4 X X X X X X Download an entire message, including inline images and attachments, without having to do a full Send/Receive.
Fetch Mail for POP3/IMAP     X X X X If you use a POP3/IMAP e-mail account (such as Google Mail, AOL or Yahoo!), you can use Fetch to download an entire large e-mail without any additional actions.
SharePoint and UNC File Share access4 X X X X X X Open links to documents that are stored on servers or linked to in an e-mail.
Outlook E-Mail message flags4 X X X X X X Assign, mark complete and clear flags both from the e-mail inbox list and when you’re viewing a message.
Smart filter in messaging X X X X X X Search for a specific message by entering a name or subject. Smart filter automatically sorts the list of messages, based on the search criteria.
Hardware shortcuts X X X X X X Perform a variety of tasks, such as moving a message to a folder or flagging a message, on both 12-key and QWERTY (traditional Western keyboard) smartphones.
Information Rights Management4 X X X X X X Receive, reply to, forward and compose Information Rights Management- (IRM) protected mail - confidential e-mails, read-only documents and documents with an expiration date.
Multi-select functionality   X X X X X Select a block of messages for bulk actions, such as deleting or moving the messages.
Richer Contacts, Calendar and Tasks
View attendee status4 X X X X X X See who has accepted, declined or not yet responded to a meeting invitation.
Forward appointments4 X X X X X X Forward appointments to additional meeting attendees.
Out-of-Office Assistant4 X X X X X X If you’re going to be away from your office or out of mobile-phone range, set an Out-of-Office (OOF) status and message.
Propose a new meeting4 X X X X X X Respond to a meeting invitation by proposing a new meeting time.
Schedule conflict notification X X X X X X View conflicting appointments and appointments that are adjacent to the meeting request.
Call History by Contact X X X X X X View call history, including calls made, received and missed.
Schedule new meetings4 X X X X X X Send meeting requests.
Smart Search X X X X X X Type a name or phone number and sort through your contacts until you find the right one.
Tasks synchronisation X X X X X X Synchronise your Outlook Tasks so that you can stay on top of what's important.
Better mobile Internet
Internet Explorer Mobile X X X X X X Internet Explorer Mobile 61 in Windows Mobile 6.5 provides a full, rich web-viewing experience similar to the experience on your PC.
Adobe Flash Lite plug-in1         New! New! View web sites as they were meant to be viewed, with full Flash support.
Zoom support     X X X X Zoom within web pages for easier reading.
Zoom, Scroll and Pan           New! New navigation tools let you move through web pages with ease.
Page Overview     X X X X See a view of an entire web page.
Home page personalisation     X X X X Personalise the start page for Internet Explorer.
Search in address bar         New! New! Now you can search directly from your address bar just by typing in the search term.
Auto-complete suggestions         New! New! The new auto-complete feature suggests words and even sites to speed up your browsing.
Mobile/desktop view         New! New! You can now choose between mobile view (enhanced for display on phones) or full desktop view, depending on your immediate viewing needs.
More powerful hardware
Gesture support           New! The new gesture support lets you scroll through contacts, web pages and other screens quickly, with simple, intuitive taps, clicks and drags.
Touch screen   X   X   X A touch-sensitive screen lets you interact with your phone, using your finger or a stylus.
Getting more done
Cut, copy and paste   X X X X X Select and copy text from web pages in Internet Explorer Mobile. Cut, copy and paste text in e-mail and messaging.
1 Internet Explorer Mobile 6 comes installed on Windows phones. Some support for multimedia requires the Adobe Flash Lite plug-in, which is an optional component for phone manufacturers. Therefore, not all Windows Mobile devices have the same level of compatibility.
2 Opens 2007 Microsoft Office system file formats without requiring add-ons or additional modification.
3 Not included on all phones. Check with your mobile operator for more information.
4 Features and functionality compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server only.
5 Available for Microsoft Exchange 2003 SP2 or later and Exchange 2007.
6 The Direct-Push e-mail notification feature only works over a mobile connection and does not work over Wi-Fi.
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