Microsoft has somewhat reluctantly taken the wraps of its next-generation mobile operating system (OS), Windows Mobile 6. The reason: a French newspaper was given a preview of platform on the condition they hold the information until the official announcement at 3GSM in Barcelona on February 12th, but spilled the beans anyway. As a result, the software giant decided to pre-announce the upgraded PDA and smartphone OS.

Much of what Microsoft reveals confirms earlier rumors. While Windows Mobile 6 isn't too radical a redesign over Windows Mobile 5, there are many important improvements.

Here what we know about Windows Mobile 6 so far:

The platform upgrade has a sleeker and glossier look than Windows Mobile 5, including a pair of Calendar and Contacts softkeys plus Vista-like icons and folders.


Windows Mobile 6 Home Screen

Windows Mobile 6 delivers the ability to view e-mails in their original HTML format with live links to web and SharePoint sites, which means text and images are displayed like they would be on a PC; so original pictures, tables and formatting are all there.

In addition, nine new one-click options have been added to e-mail, including 'reply all,' setting a flag, moving a message to a subfolder and delete.


Windows Mobile 6 E-Mail Shortcuts

The OS also includes Windows Live for Windows Mobile to provide services like Windows Live Messenger, which allows people to chat with more than one person at one time, express themselves through animated figures, quickly send a file or image, or record and send voice notes. Users can also find all their contacts in one unified list and see presence information on their Windows Live Messenger contacts. Other features include Windows Live Mail, Live Search and Windows Live Spaces.

Call history is now more conveniently placed in each individual contact card as well.

Windows Mobile 6 promises a much improved Microsoft Office experience in the Office Mobile versions of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, which deliver capabilities once only available on the PC. Such as allowing users to view, navigate and edit documents in the original formatting, without affecting tables, images or text.

Of course, all Windows Mobile 6 devices will include Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for always up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server.

Security and management features include the ability to remotely and locally wipe all data from a device. It also supports new Exchange Server policies and certificate options, storage card encryption, and continued support for remote and local device wipe. Companies leveraging Information Rights Management (IRM) technology to control the viewing, storing and printing of confidential information on PCs can also now extend those same rights to Windows Mobile 6 devices.

Microsoft has replaced ActiveSync with the new Windows Mobile Device Center, which promises to make it easier to swap music, pictures, movies and Outlook information between the PC and device.

A new calendar ribbon aims to gives users the ability to understand at a glance the day or week ahead and quickly determine open time on their schedules. In tandem with Exchange Server 2007, users will be able to see who is attending a meeting and forward or reply to meeting requests.


Windows Mobile 6 Calendar View

For developers new mobile versions of the .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server are built into Windows Mobile 6 to ease the creation of and access to sales tools, inventory tracking, and other applications from a smartphone.

A new built-in application is supposed to make it easier ("one-click easy") to use a smartphone as a high-speed modem for a laptop with either a Bluetooth wireless or cable connection.

Lastly for now - we'll learn more when Microsoft officially announces Windows Mobile 6 on Monday - the new platform, while it doesn't integrate VoIP itself, allows operators and device makers to integrate the technology into a device they're building.

Goodbye Pocket PC, Smartphone
As we reported before, Microsoft is doing away with the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone designations with Windows Mobile 6. Instead, Windows Mobile for Smartphone becomes Windows Mobile 6 Standard, Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Edition turns into Windows Mobile 6 Professional, and Windows Mobile for Pocket PC ends up as Windows Mobile 6 Classic.

Standard, as with Smartphone, will designate Microsoft-based handsets without a touch screen; Professional, as with Pocket PC Phone Edition, cellular-wireless handhelds or smartphones with touch screens; and Classic, as with Pocket PC, the ever dwindling number of new non-cellular wireless PDAs.

How much Windows Mobile 6 heralds closer ties between the functionality of Pocket PC Phones (Professional) and Windows Smartphones (Standard) is unclear at this point.

While Windows Mobile 6 devices aren't supposed to start shipping until the second quarter of this year, we wouldn't be surprised if vendors announce some next week.