So Windows Mobile 6.5 isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be and you are getting impatient with Microsoft. Well we’re happy to report that you don’t need to take drastic measure like Motorola. Instead you can wait for Spring 2010 when Windows Mobile 7 should hit RTM (release to manufacturing). Sure device launches will be the deciding factor and probably we won’t see WM 7 in our hands until Q4 2010, but at least we have a date. Keep in mind that this information has not been confirmed but it was part of an Office 2010 slideshow presented to Microsoft partners. The slides also outlined the updated version of Office Mobile which unfortunately looks exactly like it did in the leaked builds we saw nearly 2 years ago. Here’s to hoping for the best my friends, the ball is in Microsoft’s court now.
[Via Windows Phone Mix]
After reporting on the less than stellar piracy protection for Windows Mobile Marketplace, it saddens us to deliver even more bad news. The current issue is that some users are only seeing a couple dozen apps while others were seeing the entire catalog. The culprit in this matter is Microsoft who has decided to enforce strict localization with their store and charging developers $10 for each additional country they’d like to offer their software. The fun for developers does not stop at the $10 fee, they actually have to deliver a separate version of their app with full localization beyond just the language change. If you were thinking about offering an App in English for France and Germany you better brush up on your foreign languages and be prepared to release 3 different versions.
Microsoft has responded on this matter and says that the solution will be a new build of the Marketplace. In the new build the user will be allowed to switch Marketplaces so they will not be restricted on what apps they can view. The problem is that you’ll need to know in advance which localized Marketplace offers the Apps you want.
