MWg devices with HSUPA, Win Mobile 7 leaked
updated 04:50 pm EDT, Fri May 9, 2008
MWg Roadmap Leak
Although it has just launched new Atom and Zinc phones today, MWg plans multiple devices in the next several months that include major changes both to the hardware and Windows Mobile underneath, according to a roadmap leak at MoDaCo. The Asian smartphone maker claims it will have a Windows Mobile 7 device as early as the end of the year in the form of the Flame II, a heavily touch-driven device with a 3.5-inch screen and extra media playback features. A 3.2-megapixel camera and GPS mapping will also reportedly be standard.
Other devices should have faster Internet access, says the roadmap. A bar phone nicknamed the Rici will allegedly ship in summer with both the 7.2Mbps access of the Atom VI but also HSPA support at 5.2Mbps with better upload speeds; it should include Windows Mobile 6.1 as well as a similar camera and GPS. In early 2009, a Windows Mobile 7 device known as the Atom VI will replace today's model with both HSUPA and the future Windows update; for frequent messaging, the Iris in late 2008 and the Vix in early 2009 will add the faster 3G access and use Windows Mobile 6.1 and 7 respectively.
Two more conventional devices are expected for the end of this year, including the Graphite II, a non-touchscreen smartphone device, and the Walk PC, an ultra-mobile PC that will stay online at long distances through built-in 3G cellular access.
The report makes clear that the roadmap is subject to change and may see devices change in specifications or delayed. Microsoft itself hasn't yet announced Windows Mobile 7 beyond acknowledging its existence and is assumed by most to launch sometime in 2009, possibly delaying the Flame II by months.
