Entered CNET Catalog: 02/08/2007
SKU: CNETMSWINDOWSMOBILE6
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/16/2007
Photo gallery:
Windows Mobile 6
Windows Vista isn't the only operating system making its debut this year, as Microsoft also revamped its OS for mobile devices and formally introduced Windows Mobile 6 at 3GSM World Congress. Taking the reins from Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6 isn't a complete overhaul of the OS; instead, it offers a number of useful enhancements that makes performing tasks easier and puts more powerful tools into the hands of mobile professionals. We were particularly impressed with the new e-mail search function, Mobile Office additions, and Windows Live integration, but we think Microsoft could have done a lot more. For example, multimedia improvements are practically nonexistent and the user interface is still kludgey, requiring numerous steps to complete a simple task. Also, some of the enhanced functionality to Outlook and calendaring require that you use Exchange Server 2007. Despite these flaws, the new improvements make Windows Mobile 6 worth the upgrade.
The best news, of course, is that new OS means there will be a number of new devices coming out. There will be three editions again, but they've been renamed as Classic (formerly known as Pocket PC Edition), Standard (Smartphone Edition), and Professional (Pocket PC Phone Edition), so you can look forward to a variety of form factors. In fact, we've already seen a number of product announcements from 3GSM, including the HTC Vox. For Windows Mobile 5 users, Microsoft said it will be up to carriers and device manufacturers whether they will offer upgrades, but T-Mobile has already announced that it will offer updates to current T-Mobile Dash owners and future Dash devices will ship with Windows Mobile 6.
For our review, we checked out Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition using the HP iPaq 510 Voice Messenger, though we will continue to evaluate the OS and its variations as more devices start to arrive on the scene.
Interface
Windows Mobile 5 users won't be in for any major surprises when they see Windows Mobile 6, as the interface largely remains the same as before. Windows Mobile 6 does have more of a Vista look with its similar color scheme and bubbly, eye-pleasing icons. Along the top of the Today screen, you still get shortcuts to your most recently used apps, but the icons are slightly larger. Below that, you'll find such important information as time, date, upcoming appointments, messages, and so forth. Of course, you can customize the background image, color scheme, and backlight time.
One of the biggest complaints about Windows Mobile devices, especially when compared to Palm, is the number of steps it takes to perform a simple task, such as closing out of a program. This is still pretty much true of Windows Mobile 6, but Microsoft has taken some steps to ease the pain. For example, the company has added nine new e-mail shortcuts so you can easily reply, delete, move messages, and more. While this is a step in the right direction, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
Features
Window Mobile 6 really doesn't offer any mind-blowing new features, but rather, it includes some nice refinements that make the devices easier to use as well as act more like your PC. However, we should warn you that a number of the enhanced PIM capabilities require Exchange Server 2007, so unfortunately, if you or your company have no plans to upgrade, you're left in the cold. We'll note such exceptions as we go through the features.
Contacts and Calendar
Starting with some of the basics, call history is now sorted to the appropriate contact page. Though you may think this isn't a big deal, it's actually quite convenient as you can easily see when you received and made calls to that specific person, the time of the call, the duration, and so forth. Also, the new OS provides a quick Send Text Message shortcut, so you can be on your way to text message heaven with just one click, rather than having to go through several steps.
The Calendar app is also more user friendly, as the upgrade provides a better view of your schedule at a glance. First, there's a new Calendar Ribbon that lines the top of the screen and shows you which times you are free and which are booked. In addition, you get a week view, and while it gives you a good overview of your schedule--complete with colored blocks for appointments--you can also get details of the event, such as meeting location, right along the bottom of your screen so you don't have to open each one. The calendaring capabilities are also more robust if you are using Exchange Server 2007. With that integration, you have the ability to not only see who is attending a meeting, but you can forward and reply to meeting requests as well. While we couldn't test this feature, we got a working demo, and we can see how it would really come in handy for the mobile professional, bringing more of that PC experience to your smart phone.
E-mail
E-mail is a lot smarter on Windows Mobile 6. First, all devices will ship with Microsoft's Direct Push technology so you get real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. Microsoft has also added nine new one-click shortcuts, as we noted above; plus, you get more of the true Outlook experience as your In-box view shows messages that are flagged, marked as high importance, and so forth. Once again, with Exchange Server 2007, you can do even more with Outlook Mobile, such as set up an Out of Office reply.
Searching for e-mails is no longer an unpleasant task, thanks to a new search function. Similar to the Smart Dial feature on Windows Mobile 5 devices, where you input a couple of letters to pull up associated contact, you can simply start typing in a word while in your Inbox, and it will automatically pull up messages with that term in the subject or contact field. It worked great for us, and it's truly a timesaver.
There is, of course, continued support for POP3 and IMAP accounts, but now you can also view e-mails in their original HTML format, regardless of account type. If there happens to be a hyperlink within a message, you can select to go to that page or if a phone number is listed, you can dial out directly from that message as well.
Windows Live for Mobile and Web browsing
If you have a Hotmail/Windows Live e-mail account, you can easily access those messages with Windows Live for Mobile. It's a simple matter of inputting your user ID and password, then you can choose to synchronize your e-mail and contacts, which integrates nicely into your phone's address book. As far as instant messenger, you get Live Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger), which boasts some improvements in its own right. Now, you can have multiperson chats and send images and voice clips via IM. While we appreciate these new capabilities, we're disappointed that there's not a more universal app included that supports other popular IM clients such as AIM and Yahoo.
Another aspect of Windows Live for Mobile is the Live Search, giving you a quick and easy way to search the Web. When you first access Windows Live, you are given the option of adding a Live Search bar, as well as Windows Live services, to the Today screen, and we recommend doing so. It's truly handy just to turn on your phone, enter a search term in the field, press OK, and instantly get results. The Live Search bar is also now part of the Internet Explorer Mobile home page, as well as new expandable Favorites and History menus.
Finally, there is also a new Internet Sharing utility, courtesy of Windows Mobile 6, that allows you to easily set up your phone as a wireless modem for your laptop via Bluetooth, or you can use a USB connection as well.
Work and play
The big news here is that Windows Mobile 6 Standard Edition (formerly Smartphone Edition) now has the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite. Whereas Windows Mobile 5 smart phones typically came installed with the Picsel Viewer Suite for opening and viewing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, Windows Mobile 6 brings the real deal so you can not only see said files but also edit them. We should note, however, that the editing capabilities are pretty light. In Word, you're pretty much restricted to adding and deleting text and formatting type (such as bold, italic, underline, and highlight); while in Excel, you can insert rows and columns, sort, perform basic functions, and so forth. PowerPoint remains pretty much view-only, although you can change playback options. For now, you can't create new documents on Standard Edition devices. It is possible with OneNote 2007, but this isn't part of the standard Windows Mobile 6 package, so you'll have to shell out $79.95 for the app. That said, we were able to transfer all three document types using a beta version of ActiveSync 4.5 and had no problems viewing or editing them. Admittedly, trying to edit manuscripts and spreadsheets without a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard was a bit challenging on the HP iPaq 510.
Sadly, there were no notable improvements to Windows Media Player Mobile.
Service and support
Microsoft has maintained an informative and helpful support site for Windows Mobile 5 users; we hope and suspect that this will continue with Windows Mobile 6 as more devices become available. As it stands now, you can search through a number of help and how-to articles to get you through the basics, such as setting up your device, then delve into more advanced capabilities. As we noted in the beginning, it'll be up to carriers and device manufacturers to determine if they will offer Windows Mobile 6 upgrades.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
User Rating: 
6/10
Pretty good overall (TRY SKYFIRE)
Pros: There are many applications and games available for windows mobile. It runs okay, sometimes a little laggy, but that depends on the hardware. Easy to set up and use my email
Cons: Wasn't too crazy about WMP, got a different media player.
Internet explorer is terrible
User Rating: 
4/10
Still a long way to go...
Pros: Recently bought a Samsung Saga with Mobile 6.0. The best think I can say for Mobile 6.0 is that it's better than Mobile 5.0. Unfortunately, that's not saying much.
Cons: When is Microsoft going to learn that first and formost, a mobile PDA is a phone? The least they can do is allow me to EASILY see that I have voice mail. There doesn't seem to be a way to do this.
Samsung makes solid phones. Their main problem is they're running Windows Mobile and apparently Microsoft has no clue about creating usable User Interfaces.
Here's hoping that in the next version of Windows Mobile Microsoft leans that my PDA is a phone first and everything else second.
User Rating: 4/10
Frustrating
Pros: I do not like
Cons: I will never get happy with windows on my mobile...com'on m8's do we forget linux mobile, I will vote+ more stars to see something on linux which is moving 10 times faster then the crappy win mobile...
User Rating: 4/10
mediocre (typical for Microsoft)
Pros: live search is useful
Cons: slow, buggy, limited features
User Rating: 6/10
Great once you add (with difficulty) a Flash player and Java support
Pros: Stable, even after multiple software installations.
Cons: Should have come with a Flash player installed. Internet Explorer is lame.
and follow the instructions. By the way, though it gets the job done, the Internet Explorer web browser is very clunky, particularly if you want to view native (non-mobile optimized) web pages. Opera Mini is better (including a nice zoom feature) and free, but you have to dig around the internet to find a JVM that will open the setup file. Doing that was too complicated for words.
User Rating: 
1/10
Annoying to Use and filled with Flaws
Pros: Looks, Looks, Looks
Cons: Usability, operation, memory usage
User Rating: 
7/10
Install the SSL cert for Exchange 2007
Pros: Many application, cool looking.
Cons: Different versions are locked down by different carriers.
http://www.techsack.com/2008/02/18/installing-an-ssl-certificate-on-your-windows-mobile-device-for-exchange-2k7/
User Rating: 
9/10
Not a major upgrade from Windows Mobile 5; however does include new calendar and Microsoft Office.
Pros: New calendar, office suite, and improved interface.
Cons: Not a major upgrade from Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0.
User Rating: 
8/10
Pretty good overall
Pros: Good Exchange 2007 support
Cons: Where is Scheduling Assistant feature?
User Rating: 1/10
MEMORY LEAKS
Pros: cnet loves it though the rest of the user community hates it
Cons: NO support from Microsoft
User Rating: 
3/10
There's minimal control over settings
Pros: A familiar platform for those who are used to MS OS
Cons: Minimal control over settings
There's no interaction with SD card memory, and all ringtones have to be transfered to phone's main memory before it can be set as ringtone. Phone's memory is limited and this causes the trouble of deleting songs/ringtones in order to accomodate new songs/ringtones.
I would expect more from MS rather than a disappointment. Will be using a Sony phone next.
User Rating: 6/10
Cannot dial a phone number from Mobile Outlook appointment
Pros: Everything else about the phone is great
Cons: For anyone who has to join conference calls from somewhere other than there desk, i.e. people who need PDAs, this is a huge problem.
User Rating: 3/10
NO SIM MANAGER
Pros: can't find one
Cons: lacks feature
What a JOKE!...
User Rating: 8/10
Pretty Good with added software
Pros: Wireless sync with exchange
Cons: Have to purchase 3rd party software to make it trully useable
User Rating: 9/10
Must have device.
Pros: Simplicity
Cons: More free apps needed.
I was also able to download Google maps on to the device. Awesome experience. While taking this for a test drive in the city (NY) it was able to locate my exact location on google maps as well as give me directions and business/locations near me.
Battery life is limited I do need to charge it daily, and this is with the expansion pack. Wallpapers, ring tones, are easy to download and utilize. Syncing my messenger accounts with it was great(aol, msn, yahoo). Buttons are pretty big so writing is great.
Setting up my emails was also quick and easy similar to setting up your emails on outlook 2003 unless you have an email from a well known site(gmail). The device will automatically configure them for you. This device is worth every penny.
User Rating: 9/10
Greatly improved my Treo 750.
Pros: It's more responsive, have HSDPA enabled, improved graphics.
Cons: Sucks more battery life than with WM5.
What also bothered me was that the 750 would occasionally not read its Mini-SD card. Had to do the 'pop out/in' routine for it to read it. Not so hot when wanting that special picture moment, and have to reset the memory card.
Also, UTMS was great, but if there was a way for a faster internet (HSDPA), especially when I tether my laptop, why the heck not.
When I heard, and got the 'unofficial' release of AT&T WM6 for the Treo 750, I jumped at the chance. Not sure exactly why AT&T or Palm will not officially release this version yet, but WM6 makes a lot of improvements to the Treo 750.
Not only does it access HSDPA, for faster connectivity, it simply responds better than WM5. It multi-tasks better, where I don?t have to do any kind of resets at all, unless I start fooling around with third party freeware, but that has to do more with the freeware than the WM6 in general.
One thing that took me a while was the tethering to my laptop. I travel a lot, and need wireless access, and having a smartphone as a modem for my laptop use. WM6 doesn't have the traditional 'modem' icon, but renamed it to 'Internet Sharing.' Looking for modem specifically, didn't occur to me to use the internet sharing. When I finally figured that out, it actually works better, sets up better, than the WM5 modem version.
Everything else works just about the same, or slightly better than WM5. WM Office, Outlook, IMs and text messaging are all fine and dandy. WM6 makes my Treo act like a new phone all over again.
My advice to AT&T and Palm... Make WM6 available for Treos as soon as possible. It makes the Treo 750 much better to use for business apps than WM5.
User Rating: 9/10
Just keeps getting better
Pros: easier sync with Exchange Server. Security certificates much easier to install. Supports higher resolution and more colors. Can edit office documents
Cons: while it can be customized to some degree, the Today screen is a bit more cluttered
I was almost at the point of giving up, becoming a lemming and getting a blackberry. However I just couldn?t bring myself to do it, so I recently upgraded to the new HTC device under the AT&T brand ?The Tilt?. I have to say, I am impressed. So far this device and OS has been flawless. Not a single OS lock up. Additionally, it seems that Microsoft finally figured out how to actually close a program and free up the memory. The memory management in the Mobile 6 platform is fantastic. The ability to edit office documents is also a great advantage. Not that you will do it that often but running through an airport and making a quick few edits to a word document and sending it back is pretty sweet. The same goes for PowerPoint.
The TelNav implementation on Mobile 6 is far superior to it?s predecessor and the addition of Mobile Messenger and Yahoo clients makes IM a snap. So far, so good..
User Rating: 6/10
Big Step in the Right Direction
Pros: Searching Outlook Mobile
Cons: No threaded texting
User Rating: 
10/10
Windows 6 Hit, Vista Miss
Pros: Perfect connectivity, excellent application setup,microsoft office, great internet sharing operation
Cons: inability for use as flash memory between computers without driver
User Rating: 4/10
Good but not great
Pros: Looks good and is well laid out
Cons: Glitches! Everytime I enter a number into my "contacts" it gets to the point where it asks if I want to add the contact to Messenger and locks up. Have to do a reboot.
Forgot to add. The other problem I am having. I cannot complete an entire sync. It gets about half way through and stops and pops up with the message "synchronization failed". Hope that helps explain my "4" rating.
User Rating: 8/10
Good, but no aim
Pros: really efficient
Cons: no aol instant messenger
User Rating: 
5/10
Frustrating
Pros: New Features Added
Cons: Old Features Removed
First of all, the "Contacts" softkey was replaced with a "Shortcuts" softkey. I wanted the "Contacts" softkey back. I assumed that there would be some "settings" option to configure that key. Nope. I had to find a Windows Mobile registry editor and mess around with that for a few hours before I could get the "Contacts" button back. What a pain.
When I went to use ActiveSync, I discovered that the ability to determine which contacts are sync'd based on category is gone. I read through some Microsoft forums that said this function was removed in Windows Mobile 6 and the new ActiveSync, but if I wanted to buy a third party application to do the same thing I used to be able to do with Windows Mobile 2003, there are a couple of ones available. Thanks so much.
I think it is ridiculous that Microsoft can not provide a full-featured sync'ing product. It is even more ridiculous, is that what few features ActiveSync has, it is REMOVING features instead of adding new ones! This is why people switch to Apple products.
User Rating: 9/10
This is the best of the lot!!!
Pros: Voice Command, WM6, 3rd party Apps, WiFi, The 1st WM Smartphone I like, Skype for Mobile
Cons: Slow Processor, Can't Have Some BlackBerry features yet
User Rating: 6/10
Safety Issue-windows mobile 6 equals "NO" hands free calling
Pros: I like many of the upgrades especially hearing who is calling on my h700 headset
Cons: Safety Issue-cannot place a call using voice command with a bluetooth headset. My phone is T-mobile Dash
User Rating: 9/10
I'm using wm5, and i'd give it an 8/10! WM6: 9/10
Pros: runs faster, looks cool
Cons: can't think of any
User Rating: 10/10
Best mobile OS.
Pros: Shortcuts; added functionality; e-mail serach function; HTML support; Windows Live integration; included Microsoft Office Mobile.
Cons: Requirement of Exchange Server 2007 for some imporvements to work; few multimedia enhancements.
User Rating: 9/10
Awesome, simply awesome.
Pros: Great new features, including VoIP
Cons: Lags like anything on some older devices.
User Rating: 8/10
Recomended upgrade
Pros: new menus, love the media player on the home screen, I.E. is much faster.
Cons: program memory hog, e-mail set up is much harder then it used to be.
Other then that I had some small issues with the upgrade not seeing my dash but i let it sit for a few min and it saw it upgrade went smooth after that. I would have liked to see more a a list rather then Icons. maybe mobile 6.1.1.1.1 for that...
I would recomend it to anyone
User Rating: 9/10
Finally my Dash works without major problems.
Pros: Just good OS for smart phones
Cons: I didn't find yet.
User Rating: 6/10
Not bad but limited by hardware
Pros: improved contact management/e-mail
Cons: Hardware - no good phones available on CDMA
I realize the iPhone is more about media and less about e-mail and contacts etc. Too bad apple doesn't make a WM6 phone though because their hardware is about 2 years ahead of anything available in the US.
Sprint and Verizon are still opting for the 6800 brick - even though the iphone is about half as thick, has better battery management - 4-8GIGs vs just about any MS phone with a pathetic 256mb. The resolution is about twice just about any MS phone.
The iMate proposed phones look good even though they have no memory compared to the iPhone but once again we'll be at the mercy of Sprint and Verizon as you can only use Sprint phones with Sprint and Verizon phones with Verizon. Thank goodness your land line carriers can't do this any more (they used to until it was made illegal).
User Rating: 
2/10
It should be obvious that it going to be terrible
Pros: More Wallpaper
Cons: Cons? EVERYTHING (nearly)!!!
