It’s been unfolding all day, but it seems Microsoft is leaking again, via XDA Devs, with the latest version of Windows Mobile 6.5, which now has a .1 after it.

Brandon over at PocketNow.com has done a quick video of one of the latest leaked builds, and one of the trendiest UI features of late, finger friendliness, seems to be addressed in this build. There look to be some nice swipe able options in the UI that are more comparable to third party apps than WinMo natively.

SO it seems like we’ll be seeing this on new devices in 2010’

Renowned ROM hacker l3v5y claims this version, called Windows Mobile 6.5.1 will be released in January 2010, with the Samsung Jackie being the first device to get it

Well maybe? These leaked ROMs that offer us a sneak preview of Windows Mobile development are no end product, running on devices that are not essentially designed for the OS. Let’s just hope that it delivers half of the experience documented above!

Via WMPowerUser

In a post from SlashGear today, some interesting features of Apple’s store policies were highlighted.

According to Marco Arment, an iPhone developer and lead behind the Tumblr project, Apple have decided that apps rated 17+ will not be able to use promo-codes.

It seems like adult content, and if you consider a 17+ rating adult content, then you’ll be happy. Basically though, lot’s of reviewers are dependent on promo codes to acquire, and test iPhone apps. If the rating system changes, and a whole heap of apps, that Apple assumes, may contain adult content.

So anything that may contravene these rules, may be excluded from the Promo code convention,

Twitter, RSS, Flickr, IM, social-networking, ebook reader or Tumblr client could, feasibly, be required to carry a 17+ rating, together with bearing a “this app can contain frequent nudity and drug use and violence and mature themes” warning

This may affect even more apps than people are speculating about, what about third party shooters? There are lot’s of game’s that will also fit this premise.

I’m always quite confused by policies like this, some how the legal department, gets in a huff, and the rules change. Is it panic , or relevant?  I’m all for keeping people safe online, especially young people, but will this policy change, stop the bevy of online reviews for iPhone apps?

In the long run, I feel that Apple are reactionary, fixing problems that they predict, before they happen. It’s called covering all of the bases, and Apple certainly seem to do that!

In the long run though, are they limiting the market for really good, useful apps, erring on the side of over cautious!???

Are Apple’s establishment morals, a hindrance for iPhone Devs, or is this a prudent development? Seems rather constrictive to me!

from TUAW

More often than not, lately, the big phone providers, are focusing on the latest online trend, Social Media. Sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, brought everyone an online portal, on which to share their thoughts, feelings,absurdities and emotions. The popularity of these services, and the myriad of others that seem to appear on a daily basis, Is driving device manufacturers to include native applications to access these services.

Nokia are the latest on this bandwagon

The fact that phone makers are picking up on the whole self promotion, social media wave is not surprising. I wonder though, is this something that all mobile phone users want or need.

Admittedly I’m a twitter user, and I find it a useful tool, occasionally. I follow a whole heap of web sites that provide pertinent Windows Mobile information, that I might use, some what like a RSS reading application. Sometimes though I wonder, shouldn’t use of these services be a personal choice, and not an included service on a mobile phone, that you inadvertently use without prior knowledge of what the service is, or does, or leaves you open to?

Creating a profile on any social media network, leaves you open to as many whack jobs, self promoters, sales people and genuine people as you can handle. Filtering that combination of input, is well above the average level of work, and time that most people have in a day online. A lot of people get sucked into affiliate services that let them automate their Twitter accounts, and get lot’s of followers, as a marketing tool. Lot’s of people hook up with the same add ons and get spammed, and get no value from their social networking accounts.

So seeing this press release today from Nokia, this post is my reaction, and action.

What I wonder is

• do these apps, and their inclusion value add to the device?
• does the inclusion of these native apps, value add to the social media site?
• Should people not have the choice to install these apps themselves?
• Should device manufacturers assume that these are apps that people want?

I’d like to see your opinions and views here, but I’ll state mine, to start you off.

I can get a multitude of free third party apps to access all of these services, I would like to control what software I have included on any new phone I get, there is only one third party social media app I’m interested in, and I want a phone with as little service provider customisation as I can get!

Some how, the idea that a phone OS would work flawlessly, seems to be secondary to picking up on what’s hot online, is this actually what mobile device marketing has come to?

Seriously, crack me a comment below, if you think differently!

Can I just say, some people have way too much time on their hands. I remember the hubbub associated with the news that someone had ported Windows to a Nokia device, Why oh why though if you were an Apple user, more importantly an iPhone user, Would you want to run Windows 95 on an iPhone.

Why anyone would want to actually run Windows 95 on any thing is still perplexing, As you can see from the video though, it is mainly emulator dependent on the Mac, and does not seem to run that well on the actual iPhone.

I suppose we have to accept that hackers are going to take advantage of our little pocket computers, and innovate with them. The iPhone has been well protected, but as more people get their hands on the SDK, we  may see more WhatThe’s like this. Now I’m a sceptic, the emulator action on the mac looks OK, but the iPhone seems to be showing a single graphic. Hmmm! *scratches head*

The original source for the video, is a site called GooDiPhone, some great comments to be had there, I found this on the UberReview though!

Even though it seems a bit left of field, this is another example of the power of the generation of mobile devices we are using now. Think about the last generation, they were just able to keep up with your first computer, Commodore 64! If your handheld is now running Windows 95, you’ll be running Vista on it by the end of the year.

Good or Bad, it’s a sign of things to come!

Recently we’ve been hearing about a horde of new Android devices, waiting to cross the alps, and conquer the modern world. Just like Hannibal. I haven’t had the chance to to check out any Android devices, Advertising though fascinates me, and this promo video, sent in by long time reader Knaak, not in English, is beautiful. You don’t have to understand what’s being said, or for that matter read, It’s a really smooth Ad

Samsung are rolling out their latest, first, Android phone, it looks good, and it takes the pressure off of HTC

Above all I’m fascinated by the great animation, …. Go Figure?

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