@vgart: At least it's not odiferous Ballmer Underocean.

Deodorant, deodorant, deodorant!

Preyfar

@drewkkake: I was thinking similar thoughts. Verizon hasn't even had a WM6.1 update for the XV6900 (HTC Touch) yet!
A WM6.5 update would probably be released for Verizon the same time as WM7!

crd22

@vgart: Every time he opens his mouth. Yes. Yes we do.

matt buchanan

But if I buy a WM6.1 phone now, will Verizon ever release an update to 6.5?

drewkkake

Oh gawd. You have to put a pic of this guys every time you write about Windows?

vgart

@Curves: Thnaks for THAT mental image! (shudders)

EVANGELISTS!!
EVANGELISTS!!
EVANGELISTS!!

EVANGELISTS!!
EVANGELISTS!!
EVANGELISTS!!

strider_mt2k

@Curves: Now imagine Ballmer...doing this...

+ Watch video

Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine

This is good. Native maps integration and some better GPS libraries.

Joseph

If Steve didnt have that sweet gig at MS going, he would make a fine televangelist. He would, of course, have to buy a really bad rug to keep up with Ernest Angley, but he would have a bright future bilking old ladies out of their savings.

Curves

Hopefully the Zune integration is real, that would make my day.

sgtteddybear

@rudez90: Agreed, apple takes form over function, where as microsoft focus's on software power and compatability. They were too stubborn however, to update the GUI to work for something without an amazingly fast phone and with tons of softare.

hds272

@rudez90: Because they had no decent competitors for years. Things will change now that they have the Iphone and Android to steal their market share, but it may take a while.

elocanth

Manufactorer's need to get these OS' rolled out quicker, 6.1 only came out for HTC Polaris a couple of weeks ago and already its obsolete.

If 6.5 was available for the majority of WinMo devices early next year it would go a long way to restoring some (not much) credibility. I wouldn't be surprised if this time next year 6.5 was still only avaiable on new devices and a select few others.

ArmedJimmy

@brainwav: XDA dev forums and PPCgeeks will take care of you, not to worry.

All_Thumbs

@drewkkake: "Currently a WM 6.1 is being developed for the Elf(in), but a version has already been leaked and many developers here have Roms based off of this."

This isn't Verizon dragging their feet (for once), it's that there isn't a version of 6.1 for any HTC Elf.

However, there are custom firmwares for you here: [forum.xda-developers.com]

elocanth

@drewkkake: There is a patch for the Samsung i760 to run WM6.1 on Verizon, so they do do it. The i760 really needed it too, it finally has SDHC support now.

That said, it's hard to say if Verizon would do it. I'd think for a high-profile phone like the Touch/Touch Pro they'd do it.

brainwav

@drewkkake: i think you just answered your own question... its verizon lol

rudez90

windows mobile is so ugly and clunky i dont know how the hell they get away with that crap.

rudez90

yeah, c'mon steve. less dancing, more coding!

TopQuirk

@rudez90: though its not the nicest OS around, its not the WORST one around. way better than Symbian and other smartphone's OSes, if not the best one around.

Aoi_sora9x

Hehehe, I just never grow tired of the Steve Ballmer pictures... xD

Eruanno

@drewkkake: Like All_Thumbs said, why run the default ROM when there's xda-developers.com ?

PreachingLlama

@TopQuirk: I'm sure he generally does no coding at all.

Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine

I have a Sprint Mogul with WM6.1 It's a great phone and a great OS with some extra tweaks. MS needs to make the OS more user friendly. Make it more finger friendly like the iPhone. I currently use SPB mobile Shell to make my Mogul prettier and more functional. I have tried other things like Pointui ,and HTC Home Customizer. Anyway, I prefer my Mogul's capability above all the other phones on the market. The new HTC Touch Pro is also pretty cool.

ajmatt

@vgart: DailyTech also delights in showing the Ballmer in his natural habitat.

I'm not entirely convinced they didn't just shave an ape and put him in a dress shirt.

FightingChance

Zune integration would push me into getting a new phone.

Espiox

@ArmedJimmy: The problem is that every carrier feels the need to overlay their own software/skins/apps into the phones, so there's that development time, on top of the phone development time, on top of the OS development time, not to mention the testing time required for each step along the way.

One reason I hate verizon is that they cripple damn near every phone they have with crappy apps and lame looking verizon-themed skins.

If carriers would focus more on the service they provide and less on the hardware, then the hardware manufacturers and OS developers could synch up better and provide cooler, feature-filled phones that weren't carrier dependant. But they all have hands in each=others' pockets, so it' snot likely to work out that way. Even Android is a joke... sure it's free but it's carrier-bound so who flippin' cares?

BeautifulAgony

@ArmedJimmy: Why is 6.1 obsolete? What has already replaced it?

thailion