Hands-On with Windows Mobile 6.1

By WC Staff
last updated

Boom! If you've been following our Twitter feed, you may have read that we attended a Microsoft “Happy Hour” event. And what a happy hour it was - Microsoft saw fit to provide us with a Windows Mobile 6.1 unit to test out. So check it out - Windows Mobile 6.1 on a BlackJack II. No - we can't give it away and no, we still don't have a firm date for when the OS will be available yet (signs point to early summer).

There's a couple rough cuts in the video that we decided to make so we didn't give away our co-reporter CrackBerry Kevin's cell number on the internet. ;)

WC Staff
WC Staff
9 Comments
  • thats the only thing that get me with the black jack that it is still kinda slow like when you were using the IE it was slow to go to menue and scroll. ]
    Today i was playing with the q9 in my store and i think if i can get over the gigantic size i will be switching shortly
  • Cool walkthrough! Thanks! But Nick's right. PIE looked pretty laggy when you were going through the menus. Or was that due to holding the camera at the same time?
  • a little of both. I applied the glyphcache hack afterwards and it made a relatively big difference.
  • Getting better slowly but surely, some of this stuff is almost making me think I may need to pick up a winmob device as a secondary when they start shipping 6.1..
  • Did they have any examples of the Pro version of 6.1?
  • Dieter - excellent reporting from CTIA - you've really made this site my first stop on the web. I really appreciate all the work you guys have put into this site, and the podcast.
  • And this is why I think Opera Mobile 9.5 is going to blow the new PIE out of the water...
  • Thanks for the walkthrough Dieter. The new home screen is really nice, while PIE looks better than it did, but it's still pretty weak...
  • Actually, I like the new features of 6.1, but I'm not too excited about the Today screen. I like being able to turn my phone on and off right from the today screen (looks like this option is buried under setting on the new screen). I use this a lot to disconnect broadband to save battery life on my Q9M. I also like switching my profiles directly from the today screen (this feature will also be buried under setting). Of course, I never realized that my phone needs to be silent until after it has cause a disruption. So, getting to that option quickly is key.
    Also, I like having my favorite apps right there at the top of my Today screen. Will this view be available with 6.1?
    Granted, these are minor complaints. The functionality and features of the update are certainly something to look forward to. That PIE update looks great!
    I just have a feeling that it will be many moons before Verizon get the update. They are not mentioned as one of the carriers receiving the update in Microsoft's announcement. And, they have a reputation of being really slow when it comes to introducting new devices and updates.