Microsoft My Phone Beta

A few weeks ago I submitted my name to participate in the Microsoft My Phone public beta. My Phone is a service from Microsoft that will allow you to:

• Back up and restore your phone's information to a password-protected web site
• Access and update your contacts and appointments through your web account
• Share photos on your phone with family and friends
  

Last Friday I received my invitation into the program. Check back later in the week for my opinions on the service and how well it works with my Palm Treo 750 smartphone.

To jump in and join all the Microsoft Windows Mobile phone fun, head over to the MyPhone Beta website.

Rumor: Pocket IE 6 Update

WMExperts has an interesting little article posted today about the next version of Pocket IE 6 for devices powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile Professional.

"An anonymous tipster has sent in some screen shots and impressions of the upcoming Internet Explorer 6 browser that's coming to Windows Mobile in the very near future, the vaunted '6 on 6.' The bad news -- it's not at all clear that Microsoft will make this an independently-available download. We do know for sure that it will be baked-into the ROMs of many future smartphones. That leads us to the good news -- the screenshots we have here are from an upcoming WinMo device. Square Screen, 320x320 resolution, and the black theme are your clues as to what we're looking at."

While I'd like to see Microsoft release the next version of Pocket IE 6 as a stand-alone update to existing Windows Mobile 6.0 devices, I'm not at all sure they will. Palm has had a "no-upgrades" policy for a long time. On the desktop side, Microsoft would release a new version of the browser outside of a major OS release, so I'm still hopeful that Microsoft will release the upgrade as a free download from their Windows Mobile software site.

[Via WMExperts...]

Microsoft Confirms Windows Mobile 6.5

WMExperts via TechRadar.com is reporting that Microsoft's skipper, Steve Ballmer, has confirmed that the company will be releasing Windows Mobile 6.5 to fill the void between here and Windows Mobile 7.0.

"Ballmer said "With releases we'll make this year - releases we'll make with 6.5 next year, Windows Mobile 7, I think we have a pretty interesting roadmap."

[Via TechRadar.com...]

Related Articles:

Rumor: Microsoft Working on Windows Mobile 6.5
Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7

UPDATE: Microsoft Fixes Live Mesh Mobile Client

From the Live Mesh blog...

"Thank you for using the Live Mesh for Mobile client! For users who saw a failure to add their mobile phone to their mesh, we have deployed an updated build of Live Mesh for Mobile. You will need to download the Mobile Installer from http://m.mesh.com/install/wm6/LiveMesh.cab again. Once you have the new installer on your phone, run it and the installed client will be upgraded to the new version. The new Mobile Live Mesh Client is version number 0.9.3424.6 (check this through Menu -> About). Now you can start Live Mesh, sign in, and you should be good to go."

Get you client installer OTA:
http://m.mesh.com/install/wm6/LiveMesh.cab

Live Mesh: Here, there, Nowhere...

Earlier today WMExperts.com was reporting that Microsoft had released Live Mesh for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1-powered devices along with a Mac OS X client (whoa!!).

However, I received a much different picture when I went to the Microsoft Live Mesh blog. It seems that after the rollout, Microsoft discovered a bug with the installation process, prompting the company to post a warning about attempting to install the software.

"Since rolling out the latest Live Mesh release this afternoon, a number of customers have reported trouble installing the Live Mesh for Mobile software. We have identified the problem and are currently working on a new build. We don’t yet have an estimated time of availability, but we will post updates here, on the blog, as we know more.

In the meantime, please do not try to install the Live Mesh for Mobile software on your mobile phone because installation will fail in most cases.

Thank you for your patience as we work to get this issue resolved quickly."

Visit the Live Mesh blog for updates...

Rumor: Microsoft Working on Windows Mobile 6.5

Brighthand's Adama Brown has an interesting article posted on the mobile computing website. Mr. Brown's article reads, in part:

"The interview focused on the news that Motorola would be dropping both Symbian and its in-house Linux/Java platform in order to focus on devices running Android and Windows Mobile (read more). While commenting on the user experience aspect of smartphones, Jha noted that:

"Windows Mobile 6 has not delivered the experience that I think Apple has been able to deliver, but as you look at the plan that is Windows Mobile 7 and even 6.5, I think there are significant new added features which will help the platform."

This reference to an upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 is the first such information about its existence made available to the public. Previously the next known upgrade to Microsoft's mobile platform was Windows Mobile 7, a major overhaul which was has been repeatedly delayed, most recently until the second half of 2009."

Read the full article on Brighthand.com...


Potential Upgrades

Unlike desktop operating system upgrades from Microsoft, or even Apple, smartphone operating systems need to be tweaked for the hardware it will run on. Because of that fact, we won't be able to obtain any upgrade directly from Microsoft. Rather, mobile device manufacturers like Motorola and Palm will need to obtain the software, modify the code, and then have the new software stack certified by each wireless carrier who will carry the upgraded phone.

Long story short, don't expect every Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.1 device to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5.

SpriteBackup 6.5 Released

Sprite Software has released SpriteBackup 6.5 for Windows Mobile smartphones, which includes Palm's Windows Mobile Professional smartphone line up.

New in Backup 6.5:

• Brand New User Interface - Brings you closer to key functions and improves workflows
• Improved Sprite Explorer - Browse your Backup file and extract data – export Contacts as vCards
• Powerful Backup PC Manager – Control your backup operations/options from your PC
• Redeveloped Upgrade Mode – Move key data to a new Windows Mobile device
• New 1-step Backup - Trigger a manual backup instantly with this feature!
• Performance Improvements - General speed, stability and performance fixes and revisions.

Upgrade Options:

Sprite Backup 5 Customers can upgrade for $10. If Sprite Backup 6.xx came bundled with your device (OEM Customers), you can also upgrade for $10 also. Sprite Backup 6.xx Retail Customers can upgrade for free. If you purchased any retail Sprite Backup 6.xx series version simply enter your email address on this page to recieve your free download link and code: Code Retrieval Page.

I use SpriteBackup to backup my Palm Treo 750 daily. This is one of those applications that is a must have if you own a Windows Mobile Professional device.

Microsoft Delays Windows Mobile 7

According to a recent Cnet News article, Microsoft has proportionally delayed the next release of Windows Mobile, code named "Windows Mobile 7."

"Microsoft has informed some of its partners that it has had to delay Windows Mobile 7, a much anticipated update to its cell phone operating system.

Although Microsoft has not publicly said when to expect Windows Mobile 7, partners who had expected to have a final release in their hands by early next year have been told now that it won't be ready until the second half of next year, sources told CNET News.

The delay is a significant blow for the software maker, which has been counting on the next version of Windows Mobile to enable devices that better rival Apple's iPhone. Among the features widely expected to be part of the release is advanced gesture recognition, perhaps along the lines of the iPhone, but possibly also using the camera as a means for reading gestures. Microsoft's Tellme unit, which focuses on speech input, has also been working on Windows Mobile 7 features."

Read the full Cnet News article...

Office Mobile 2007 Upgrade

I just ran across a link on the Microsoft Windows Mobile website for the Office Mobile 2007 upgrade.

Depending on the build of Windows Mobile 5.0 installed on your smart devices the upgrade will be free for some users while others will have to pay $49.95 for the upgrade kit. (Yikes!) Before purchasing the upgrade, I strongly suggest that you check with your smart device vendor to see if they have any Windows Mobile upgrades available. You might be able to upgrade your install of Windows Mobile and then qualify for the free Office Mobile upgrade.

On the Microsoft Office Mobile Upgrade or Purchase page, there is a simple series of questions that helps you determine if your device qualifies for a free upgrade or not. Microsoft was nice enough to publish a Office Mobile 6.1 FAQ so you can learn about what is included in the latest version of Office for Windows Mobile devices before pluncking down the cash for the upgrade. Upgrades can be purchased from Handango, and volume licenses are available if you have a fleet of Windows Mobile 5 devices to upgrade.

I see this upgrade being important for users who find themselves with a Windows Mobile 5 device with no vendor provided upgrade to Windows Mobile 6, and who need support for Microsoft Office 2007 files. If you are a non-corporate user who doesn't need the latest and the greatest, I would skip the upgrade until you need to purchase it. $50 is a lot of money to gain support for Office 2007. DataViz Documents To Go 10, which added support for Office 2007 on the Palm OS platform, only ran customers $29.95.