More Windows Mobile 6.5 Screenshots Leak: Bigger Controls, New Notifications

More leaked Windows Mobile 6.5 screenshots in advance of the OS' expected launch at Mobile World Congress next week, this time courtesy of China.  While there's not a lot of difference between these and the previous batch, aside from this gallery being higher-resolution, it does show off the new, somewhat "glossy" direction Microsoft have taken the GUI.Full gallery after the cut

One significant difference is the scrolling menu shown in one of the screenshots in the gallery below, which has been made much more finger-friendly with chunkier controls and bigger fonts.  The pop-up notification box is also more aesthetically pleasing.  We're told that the lock-screen text translates as "No new messages", "Missed Calls" and "You have 1 missed call" respectively.

Of course, what these screenshots can't tell us is just how Microsoft have changed the underlying performance of the OS.  Smartphones are getting better, faster processors, but that's no excuse for a mobile platform that's unnecessarily bloated; we'll have to wait and see what Microsoft introduce – and spend some hands-on time with the first batch of devices – to find out exactly what changes are under the skin.

[via wmpoweruser]