Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today!

The honeycomb is official! Today, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Microsoft has unveiled the new Windows ® phones, which are based on the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

The new Windows Mobile 6.5-based phones will feature a completely redesigned user interface and an improved browsing experience. The new Windows ® phones will also provide two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows ® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web.

Windows Mobile 6.5 provides a new home screen that features a cool honeycomb design. This new home screen provides a dashboard-like experience to items such as new e-mails, texts, missed calls and calendar appointments. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser.

The Windows Phone also supports Microsoft My Phone, a free service which was announced earlier at MWC. My Phone consists of a password-protected web site and an on-device application, which together will help you back-up, restore, and manage your mobile phone data. For more information about My Phone, read the latest Windows Mobile Team Blog entry.

For more details about Windows ® phones and Windows Mobile 6.5, please read the complete Microsoft Press Pass Release.

To view more pictures of the new UI, as well as the announcement at MWC, go to the Mobile World Congress Image Gallery.