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Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones and Features Guide

Author: MicroSoft Canada
Published: 2009/10/06 - Updated: 2026/02/22
Publication Type: Product Release, Update
Category Topic: Communication - Related Publications

Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: This product announcement from Microsoft Canada covers the global launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, detailing the hardware lineup from manufacturers including HTC, Samsung, LG, Acer and Toshiba across carriers in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The release is presented through an official Microsoft press statement featuring commentary from then-CEO Steve Ballmer, giving it direct corporate authority as a primary source document. It outlines features that were significant at the time, including touch screen navigation, mobile Office document editing, the My Phone backup and location service, and the launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile. For anyone researching the history of accessible mobile technology, smartphone development or the evolution of assistive features on handheld devices, this article serves as a useful reference point showing how mainstream phones began integrating tools - such as screen customization, simplified navigation and data recovery options - that would go on to benefit users with disabilities and older adults as mobile technology matured - Disabled World (DW).

Topic Definition: Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile was a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft for smartphones and pocket PCs, first introduced in 2000 and eventually succeeded by Windows Phone in 2010. The platform provided a scaled-down version of the Windows computing environment on handheld devices, offering features such as touch screen input, mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications, email synchronization through Exchange Server, and Internet browsing through a mobile edition of Internet Explorer. Windows Mobile 6.5, the final major release of the operating system, introduced a redesigned interface optimized for finger-based touch navigation, a centralized app marketplace, and cloud-based services for backing up and recovering phone data, and it ran on hardware from a wide range of manufacturers including HTC, Samsung, LG and Acer across global carriers.

Introduction

Microsoft Unveils New Windows Phones Worldwide

Windows phones move seamlessly from work to play, creating new experiences through a variety of hardware, applications and services.

Microsoft Corp. has announced the availability of a new line of Windows phones around the world that are available in a broad range of styles and prices. With a Windows phone, people can navigate their phone easily with the touch of a finger(1) and browse the Internet on a great mobile browser. People can also connect to two new services that allow them to back up and share data from their phone to the Web and buy a variety of useful applications from the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Microsoft expects partners to deliver more than 30 new phones in more than 20 countries by the end of 2009.

"We all want to connect quickly to the people and information that's important to us from across our lives at work and at home," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "A Windows phone lets people take their entire world of digital information, communications, applications and entertainment with them wherever they go."

Main Content

One Phone for Work and Play

With a Windows phone, people can rely on their phone to balance their lives, from work to home to play. Whether it's editing a document or sharing several vacation updates through a social networking application, Windows phones help people stay connected to the people and information they care about most. Because people's phones often match their personality and unique needs, Microsoft now offers the Windows phone Custom Theme Creator. People can create personalized themes for their Windows phone by choosing the color and design that suits their style.

With a Windows phone, people will have familiar work and play experiences right from their Start button, including these:

Powerful Mobile Services

With the launch of these new Windows phones, Microsoft debuts new services that bring added value to people.

My Phone is a free service that helps people manage and back up the invaluable information stored on their phone and provides peace of mind and an easy restore option in the event of a lost or damaged phone. My Phone automatically synchronizes the specific types of a phone's content the user chooses - from contacts and appointments to texts, photos and more - to a password-protected Web site. People can also publish their photos from the My Phone Web site or their phone directly to Windows Live, Facebook, MySpace and Flickr.

As part of the free service, people can go online and map the last known location of their phone from when it was last synchronized. In addition, a set of more advanced "lost phone" features are being offered as a premium package that people can activate as needed. The My Phone Premium package includes the ability to immediately locate the phone's current location on a map (in the U.S. only); remotely lock a phone and post an "if found" message to its screen; loudly ring the phone even if it is set to vibrate or silent mode; and ultimately, if needed, completely erase the phone to protect personal data from falling into the wrong hands.

People using My Phone on their phone running either Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 or 6.5 can access the premium package free of charge until Nov. 30, 2009. After that date, seven-day access to the premium package will be available for purchase for $4.99 in the U.S.

Also launching today is Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which offers people an easy way to find and purchase high-quality mobile applications for both work and play, while creating a new opportunity for developers to reach millions of people using Windows phones worldwide. Microsoft is pleased today to introduce 246 quality mobile applications initially in Windows Marketplace for work and play, with more than 753 ISVs worldwide on board to continue building out the catalog.

People will have access to not only important line-of-business applications for work, but also popular mobile applications for play such as Facebook, MySpace, Netflix, Twikini, WunderRadio and ZAGAT, as well as leading game titles including Sudoku, "Guitar Hero World Tour" and the "PAC-MAN" series, all of which can be easily purchased and installed directly on a Windows phone. All purchased applications are certified by Microsoft to run on Windows phones and are backed by a simple return policy. Over the next few months, Microsoft will continue to evolve Windows Marketplace for Mobile to bring to market a fresh take on the app store that delivers strong value for developers and a great shopping experience for people.

Choice and Availability: A Phone for Everyone

Windows phones give people the power to choose the phone that best fits their style and budget by offering phones with a full physical QWERTY keyboard, others with just a large touch screen, and some with both touch screen and keyboard. Microsoft and its partners now deliver a variety of Windows phones for people to choose from in several regions:

In North America:

In Latin America:

In Europe:

The following phones are available on the open market in Europe:

In Asia:

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

(1) For users of Windows phones with touch screens

(2) Adobe Flash Lite availability may vary by phone.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: Looking back at this 2009 launch from the vantage point of today, what stands out is not just how quickly mobile technology moved past Windows Mobile, but how many of the features Microsoft was promoting - touch navigation, cloud backup, app marketplaces, remote device management - became foundational expectations for every smartphone that followed. The My Phone service, with its ability to remotely locate, lock and wipe a lost device, anticipated what would become a standard security feature across all platforms. For the disability community, the trajectory that began with these early touch screen phones and built-in productivity tools ultimately led to the far richer accessibility ecosystems now found in modern devices. This press release reads as a snapshot of a transitional moment in mobile computing, one where the building blocks of today's accessible smartphone experience were being assembled even if the platform carrying them did not survive - Disabled World (DW).

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by MicroSoft Canada and published on 2009/10/06, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.

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APA: MicroSoft Canada. (2009, October 6 - Last revised: 2026, February 22). Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones and Features Guide. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved April 17, 2026 from www.disabled-world.com/communication/windows-phones.php
MLA: MicroSoft Canada. "Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones and Features Guide." Disabled World (DW), 6 Oct. 2009, revised 22 Feb. 2026. Web. 17 Apr. 2026. <www.disabled-world.com/communication/windows-phones.php>.
Chicago: MicroSoft Canada. "Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Phones and Features Guide." Disabled World (DW). Last modified February 22, 2026. www.disabled-world.com/communication/windows-phones.php.

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