I’ve been using a Windows Mobile device (a Verizon XV6700) for 10 months now and have gradually warmed up to the OS after developing for it, and finally having a phone that delivers an experience that doesn’t annoy me to the point of getting rid of it.

So it’s exciting to see that the next major revision of the OS (codenamed Crossbow) will be released in devices in Q2 next year. Check out the review at Mobile-Review.

A biggie for me is the ability to search saved mailboxes on the exchange server without downloading them to the device. Till this point, one of the only reasons I forward copies of all my mail to Gmail is so that I can search through it from my phone if it’s not in my inbox. I can’t wait to try this feature out – it would speed up that whole “Oh man I know they sent me an email with the address, where was it?” frantic search moment while mobile. Oh and html message support doesn’t hurt at all either.

What’s with SIP calling built in? Yay standards! I can’t wait to compare it to Skype mobile.

Live Messenger is cool in that it lets you send over attachments and voice memos. I’ve been using Agile Messenger to do that now and it works most of the time. One problem with Agile though is that the enter key on the keyboard (as well as the select button on the navigation stick) activates the recording and sending of a voice memo. So I keep messing up while typing IMs. Just a key binding problem that they can fix.

Microsoft includes a Windows Live search feature on the Today Screen. Though handy, I’m a Google man myself, so I’ll reject their plugin and stick with SearchToday. Great app!

Of all phones, I believe that Windows Mobile is the easiest to get applications installed to. All you need to do is get a CAB file to the device and you’re all set. Download over USB, an email attachment, bluetooth push, http download, ftp download. They all work. Symbian SIS and JAD/JAR apps work pretty much that way too, but Crossbow seems to take another step ahead with third-party distribution with their Marketplace feature. According to Mobile-Review, Marketplace is:

It is a framework that allows users to browse, purchase, download, and install third-party software applications directly from their device. At that the manufacturer picks a partner that will be supporting Marketplace for his devices – the Marketplace shell itself provides only interface layout and API for third-party developers. Also, using the Marketplace you can upload add-ons for already installed applications.

So apparently this is an API (probably http-based) that lets third party developers get a first-class spot on the device where people can browse features and download their app. Yay to off-portal distribution!!

I hope I can score a firmware upgrade for my 6700 before Q2. Though you may consider the new version slim on new features, it’s still high on my drool-factor scale. We’ll see what I’m saying when his steveness releases the iPhone.