When we first fired it up, the boot time was very fast from the time it powered on till it hit the Today screen. With a limited amount of time to test the device, we bring you our first impressions as well as images of the device and screenshots of the improved applications and new features. We will be using the Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone to see some of the new features, so stay tuned!

The phone is an Audiovox SMT-5600, a Typhoon based device with Windows Mobile 5.0. Many devices are based upon the Typhoon and are available from operators worldwide including Orange UK, Vodaphone, and Cingular in the United States. When we open up the About screen we are greeted with "Microsoft Windows Mobile Version 5.0", OS 5.1.1700, Build 14343. Now we know that we are dealing with a real Windows Mobile 5.0 device. You can tell from the screen shots that it is running on a real device from the battery and wireless signal strength indicators.

We have provided multiple screen shots of the About screen to show all of the version information. Now that we know that the device is in fact running Windows Mobile 5.0, lets take a look at some of the new features and improvement provided by Windows Mobile 5.0.

The Contacts and Dialing screens can now have custom ring-tones and images, as shown by the screen shots. The image will even synchronize with Desktop Outlook, but we haven't verified this yet. Placing a call is easy and the information is presented clearly.

The Today screen looks very similar to the previous version of Windows Mobile, however the Start menu is no longer a menu, it is an Icon list. When you select an icon on the Start menu, it's icon will change, showing that it is selected. The Today screen doesn't support the active icons however.

Internet Explorer Mobile comes with a progress bar now that makes it easer to understand what Internet Explorer is doing. It also has better formatting abilities and supports full screen and other modes.

Outlook  has an updated look, and messages seem to display better and read easier. We haven't had the time to delve into the differences yet.

The real star of Windows Mobile is the the new Windows Media 10.1 it can synchronize album art, songs, and videos automatically from your desktop library. The screen shot shows the new Windows Media screen with album art, and the songs rating.

Stay tuned for a more exhaustive review of the Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone, when we have had more time to use the device and learn about the new features. We will explain the differences from previous versions, the updated applications, and the new features.

Conclusion: Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone has a facelift and many improvements. Typhoon based devices with Windows Mobile 5.0 do in fact exist. Now its up to the operators, to provide the upgrade to end users. Most operators prefer to sell new devices instead of providing updates to already purchased devices.

- by Adam