Microsoft revealed the branding change at a recent event, the Inquirer says, noting that the Windows Phone branding will be applied to Windows Mobile 6.1, the upcoming 6.5 version, and to Windows Mobile 7, which is expected sometime in 2010. It is yet unclear when the new Windows Phone naming system will be implemented, though.
There is no groundbreaking reason for the name change, it seems. Microsoft’s word on this is that they want to make it easier for consumers with the Windows Mobile versioning and compatibility.
As we reported back in May, Windows Mobile 6.5 is ready, as in sent to manufacturers. And as it was the case back then, Windows Mobile 6.5 will still deliver too little, too late; many expect the mobile OS to be already out of date by the time it arrives in phones, which should happen this fall. Windows Mobile 7, however, is set to deliver a greatly improved feature set over 6.5, adding a new suite of Windows Mobile apps (IE, email, SMS, photo/music management) and zooming/scaling capabilities to the user interface via multitouch.
The Windows Mobile brand is a very popular one. But if Microsoft plans to rejuvenate the popularity of Windows Mobile, without making any changes to the actual products, then it would be quite pointless for end users.