Microsoft Corp today unveiled Windows Mobile(R) 6, the newest version of its mobile software platform.

"A workforce that is both mobile and connected is becoming essential for business success," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "That's why we're integrating innovative mobile technologies into all our key products, with Windows Mobile as the centrepiece."

Windows Mobile 6 delivers the ability to view e-mails in their original rich HTML format with live links to web and SharePoint(R) sites, which means text and images are displayed as they would be on a PC, and are available from a corporate e-mail server such as Exchange Server 2007, from web-based accounts such as Windows Live(TM) Hotmail or from a myriad of other popular service providers. Windows Mobile 6 also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile, which provides customers with a rich set of Windows Live services.

Users of the Microsoft Office system on the PC - of which there are nearly 400 million worldwide - will feel right at home with the new mobile versions of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint available for Windows Mobile 6 powered devices. Windows Mobile 6 addresses extensive user feedback and makes information management easier and more convenient through the following improvements:

    
    - Better-looking e-mail. Users view e-mail the way it was intended with 
      its original pictures, tables and formatting, whether from a corporate 
      e-mail server such as Exchange Server 2007, web-based accounts such as 
      Windows Live Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail, or a wide range of other service 
      providers.

    - Ease of viewing and editing of Office system documents. The new Office 
      Mobile suite, built for all Windows Mobile powered devices, gives users 
      a truly familiar and powerful experience with rich viewing and editing 
      capabilities, without having to worry about the deletion of critical 
      formatting and images.

    - E-mail management and setup with fewer clicks. Nine new one-click 
      options have been added, including Reply All, setting a flag, moving a 
      message to a subfolder, and, of course, Delete. Users can set an 
      automatic out-of-office reply while on the road when using a Windows 
      Mobile 6 powered device and Exchange Server 2007. 

    - Synchronisation with Windows Vista. Windows Vista(TM) and the Windows 
      Mobile Device Center take the guesswork out of managing a device and 
      swapping music, pictures, movies and Outlook information between PC and 
      the device. 

    - Smart calendar bar. This innovative new feature gives users the ability 
      to understand at a glance the day or week ahead and quickly determine 
      open time on their schedules. With Exchange Server 2007, they can see 
      who is attending a meeting and forward or reply to meeting requests.

    - Web search, e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and weblogging all together. 
      Windows Live for Windows Mobile will provide customers with a rich set 
      of services including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, 
      Live Search and Windows Live Spaces, uniquely designed to work with 
      Windows Mobile software. Users can also find all their contacts in one 
      unified list and see presence information on their Windows Live 
      Messenger contacts.  

    - Contacts with context. Call history is now placed where it belongs, in 
      each individual contact card, so people spend less time searching and 
      more time communicating.