Windows Mobile 7 May Come in Business and Media Editions

The official unveiling of Windows Mobile 7 is expected next month, and rumors about it have been coming at a fast and furious rate. According to the latest, there will be two very different editions of this operating system, one aimed at consumers and the other at businesses.

Microsoft Entertainment & Devices President Robbie Bach, the man who heads up the division responsible for Windows Mobile, promised recently that the next update for this OS will be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in mid-February.

However, Bach did not say reveal what is going to be announced.

Windows Mobile has been losing ground to its rivals in recent years, and many blame this on Microsoft, saying the this operating system hasn't had a significant update in years. That's going to change soon, if an unconfirmed report is correct.  

This says that Microsoft plans to split Windows Mobile into two editions: a Business Edition and a Media Edition.

Business Edition
The BE will be the clearest successor to the current version, but with some notable changes.

In recent years, most of the successful Windows phone have used an alternate user interface, not the standard one. Rather than fighting this trend, Microsoft is supposedly going to embrace it, and the BE will have a stripped down UI intended to be replaced to the device maker.

Much of the focus of this edition will reportedly be on a new version of Microsoft Office Mobile, which will include real-time collaboration tools.

The HTC HD2 will be getting an upgrade to the Business Edition when its available next fall.

Media Edition
Despite bearing the "Windows Mobile" name, the ME will be a whole new ballgame, and apparently the source of the "ZunePhone" rumors that have been circulating for many months.

It will supposedly have a user interface that greatly resembles the one on the Microsoft Zune, and have a strong emphasis on audio, video, and gaming. Support for Silverlight, Xbox Live, and Zune Music will be built in.

Social networking will also be emphasized, with Facebook and Twitter integrated into the user interface.

Microsoft is reportedly going to give phone makers a set of specifications their ME devices must follow. For example, this operating system will support very few screen resolutions,  and possibly just one. Manufacturers will also have to meet guidelines for processor speed and RAM, too.

If this report is correct, phone running ME will not be compatible with software written for the current version of Windows Mobile, nor will ME apps and games be able to run on BE devices.

It's this edition of Windows Mobile 7 that will be demonstrated at next month's MWC.

The first models running the ME are expected to hit the market in Q3.

Source: WMExperts, MobileCrunch