A Look at Microsoft's Mobile Operating System

Cell phones, once upon a time, were bulky, boxy devices that were fairly unaffordable for everyday folks. Today’s cells are streamlined, sleek, and made for everyone -- even young children -- to enjoy. They come with cameras and speakers, calculators and calendars. Today’s cell phones have been upgraded into complex mini-computers that allow you to send texts, emails, photos and other extras to people around the world. You can now surf the Web, enjoy popular sites and play online games with your mobile device. But can you do all of that even when your mobile device and home computer differ in how they operate? Or do you need Windows Mobile? 

What is Windows Mobile? 

Windows Mobile is an operating system made especially for use with mobile devices and smart phones manufactured by Microsoft. Jam-packed with features and functions, the purpose and function of Windows Mobile is to make standard phone applications -- calling, texting, online surfing -- much easier to facilitate and operate. Think of it like this: Windows Mobile is supposed to do for your cell phone what Windows is supposed to do for your home computer, which is to make it easy for you to do whatever it is you want to do on your device. If that sounds ambiguous, it’s because Windows Mobile has a whole lot to offer.  

Windows Mobile currently comes standard on several different phones and mobile devices (including the AT&T Pantech Matric Pro and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1a) offered and created by Microsoft. The latest version of Windows Mobile, version 6.5, features a new interface that’s said to make usage of this OS even easier.  

Features of Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile comes equipped with versions of the same software and features you’ve grown accustomed to with standard, computer-based versions of Windows. You’ll use Internet Explorer as your mobile Web browser, enjoy a mobile version of Outlook to help you manage emails and even a version of Windows Office to help you work while on the go. These mobile versions are made to look and work like the more standard Windows software you’ve probably used in the past. 

The operating system strives to offer many different call functions, because what is a smartphone if not a cell phone with extra features and capabilities? Windows Mobile gives you a click-to-call option that lets you click a number to quickly place a call right from your home screen. You can click to call phone numbers that are included in emails and text messages as well. 

Windows Mobile offers a “wizard” to help you set up email accounts, linking home computer accounts with your mobile device. You’ll be able to access email accounts through major carriers (including Hotmail, Yahoo! and AOL), enjoying all the features and options you have from your computer.  

Windows MediaPlayer also comes with this mobile OS, supporting different media formats including MP3, WMA and MPEG-4. This allows you to view videos and listen to music from your mobile device. The program is also designed to make transfer between phone and laptop (or vice versa) very simple. 

You’ll also have access to a wide variety of popular games through Windows Mobile, using Windows Mobile Total Access to download new applications as you desire. Popular games which are available right now include titles like Guitar Hero, Bejeweled and Monopoly. Through Windows Total Access you can seek new software, ringtones, extras and applications for your phone at any time. 

Using Windows Mobile

To use Windows Mobile, you’ll need a smartphone that comes with this operating system. Search for phones that come equipped with Windows Mobile through the site itself, or simply search for these phones through retailers. Using Windows Mobile is  very much like using an operating system on your computer; simply point and click or touch and go, and you’re using the features and the system before you know it.

Windows Mobile Extras

Windows offers a slew of software packages for Windows Mobile users who want to enjoy some of the Microsoft applications they’re already familiar with on their home computers. Download software such as Windows Live, Windows Media Player and other extras designed for mobile use. With these applications, you can make your smartphone into a miniature version of your laptop. 

Even without the extras, Windows Mobile has a lot to offer. You’ll be greeted by the familiar look of Windows and feel of software you’ve used many times on many computers. You’ll have full access to email and Web sites, including all those applications that make it easy for you to use those sites and that email. Windows Mobile brings a lot to the table, but does that mean you can’t live without it? 

Do You Need Windows Mobile?

Microsoft’s mobile operating system, Windows Mobile, is not unlike the operating system which drives the iPhone and iPod -- an operating system designed by Apple. Windows Mobile phones are made to match the intricate operations and applications offered by these iProduct competitors, but there are many phones and mobile devices out there which don’t use this operating system and still work quite successfully.

For example, many devices run off Blackberry handheld software or Android (a Linux-based mobile operating system). The market for mobile operating systems is still highly competitive and varied, giving you several different options when you buy a new device. 

When you are an existing Windows user, it’s much easier to transfer files or share information between your home computer and your mobile device, but it’s not impossible to do so even when the two run on different platforms. 

Do you need Windows Mobile? Not necessarily. Many, many smartphones and mobile devices offer the same sorts of applications and features provided with the Microsoft mobile OS, varying only in how these special features are presented to the users.

Find the phone you want, find the operating system you like and make sure you’ll be able to do everything you want to do with your device before you buy. You may want to choose a product that features Windows Mobile, but you might also choose a different phone instead.