MWC 2009: New presentations at the mobile show

Unlike last year, where there were numerous announcements, Microsoft wanted to leave their mark with Windows Mobile 6.5. It was Steve Ballmer who came in person to unveil the new operating systems engine.

They took the advantage of putting into place the “Windows telephony” concept, which will be the generic name used for hand sets using Windows mobile. More practical to use in communication, and allowing you to forget the version number a little, this change in system version has been planned for a long time.

Windows Mobile 6.5, without bringing anything revolutionary, is before all else a more convivial interface which is easy to control with a finger. Gone are the small menus and check boxes to be manipulated with a touch pen, with the control methods now being a lot more flexible.

The new system also comes with Internet Explorer 6 mobile, an updated version of the browser which is starting to look a pale comparison to alternatives like Opera Mobile. But Windows Mobile 6.5 isn’t being released by itself as it is comes with the synchronisation clouds like My Phone and a range of downloadable applications from Windows Marketplace which were also unveiled.

The Windows Mobile handsets are also in for a treat, with an update from Windows Mobile 6.1 being announced in most cases to Windows Mobile 6.5 from next autumn.

We also saw Toshiba TG01, the first smartphone announced with the Qualcomm SnapDragon 1 GHz platform, as well as two HTC products, the HTC Touch Diamond 2 and HTC Touch Pro 2.

Acer DX900; M900; X960; F900

One of the big announcements came from Acer in the smartphone market, with a generous offer which will be released from April. Four models are ready to go, DX900 and M900 from the professional range and the X960 and F900 on the flexible/general public side, while four others will be launched in the second half of the year.

It is also during this period that we should hear more about the Acer handset operating Android.