Microsoft is expected to unveil Windows Mobile 6.5 at the upcoming Mobile World Congress but has not yet revealed when it will be released to device manufacturers. It has provided even fewer details about the upcoming Windows Mobile 7 although Motorola pretty much confirmed that it would not hit until 2010. But some folks familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed some further details to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley.
According to these sources, Windows Mobile 6.5 will be released to manufacturing in April 2009. Devices running the new OS would then start appearing in September 2009. Windows Mobile 7.0 would first be released to testers in November 2009 with the expectation that the first Windows Mobile 7.0 devices would appear in April 2010.
Windows Mobile 6.5 is expected to be more evolutionary than revolutionary and many expect that we will not see multi-touch and gesture recognition capabilities until Windows Mobile 7.0.