Where Are All the Windows Mobile 6.1 Devices?

Back on April 1st 2008, Microsoft stood on the stage at CTIA Wireless 2008 and announced the availability of Windows Mobile 6.1. This updated mobile OS is suppose to help broaden the consumer appeal and at the same time address the increasingly complex mobile needs of the enterprise customer. The new setup wizard would help get up and running in minutes - from configuring email to Bluetooth adapters, the setup wizard makes it simple to get connected. Microsoft also added their System Center Mobile Device Manager goodness to the device, so enterprise should be able to manage these devices easier than in the past.There’s lots of good things in Windows Mobile 6.1, but the real question is; Where is it? At CTIA Microsoft said that devices will become available in the second quarter of 2008. Well, I hate to break the bad news, but that’s come and gone. We have a small sprinkling of devices available today - HTC Diamond, HP 910, and the new Sprint Treo. However, all of these just recently hit the streets. We’re not in the second quarter any more. In fact, we’re almost half way through the third quarter, and these are the only devices available.

At the time of the press release, Microsoft listed 25 devices that would get Windows Mobile 6.1. The new HP device wasn’t even on the list. The Sprint Treo was on the list and if you consider HTC’s Diamond to be “a new Touch Dual for the US” then we can scratch two devices off the list. Oh, and HTC did release an OS update for the TyTN II - although I’ve heard it doesn’t run very well. What happened to everyone else? What’s the hold up? Windows Mobile 6.1 has been code complete for a while, the announcement was made long after the final version of the OS was handed out to manufacturers and partners. By the time these devices really start to hit the market, people will have lost the lust and desire and will have moved on to a new device. Getting the product to market in a timely matter after the announcement is a key factor in success. Microsoft needs to have a closer relationship with the manufacturers and partners so they can better time the announcements and release of products.

Experience Mobility Gets A Facelift and New URL

Fellow Mobile Device MVP and friend, Jack Cook, has run into some bad luck with his site - Experience Mobility. The good news is that the problems are all in the past. The bad part is that he’s lost a lot of posts and is still working on saving the reviews. Jack has updated the site with a brand new look and feel and in the process he’s switched to a .net domain from the original .com. If you’re a regular on Jack’s site, please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds to reflect the new URL. If you’re not familiar with Jack or Experience Mobility, I would suggest you head over and check things out.