Leaked Windows Mobile 7 Screens are (If Actual) Pretty But Less Functional Than 6.x

My T-Mobile HTC Touch Pro2 is still running Windows Mobile 6.1. So, I haven’t even tried 6.5 yet (hey, T-Mobile, what is up with that?). However, Pocket Now claims they have Windows Mobile 7 screenshots to share with us…

Windows Mobile 7 Exclusive Screenshots and Analysis!

PocketNow provides pairs of screenshots (top & bottom instead of left-right for some reason) that compares screens from the current Windows Mobile 6.5 to 7. You might want to open a second window to their screenshots using the link above to follow along with my commentary that assumes the screens shown are early version of what Windows Mobile 7 will look like

1. Calendar view: It seems to show roughly 25% of what can be shown today in the name of finger friendliness. People who want to see as much useful calendar information as possible in a glance (like me) will not like the 7 calendar view.

2. Dailer: The buttons on the 7 screen are label-less. Personally, I prefer the labels or the option to choose.

3. PocketNow mixed up the comparison for the Contacts app. They show a 6.5 Contacts screen with a 7 Inbox screen.

4. Inbox (email): Again, the 7 version loses a lot of information compared to what 6.5 provides now. The 7 Inbox does not have time/date information, size, or even a message count (total + unread).

5. Text Message interface: More finger friendly on-screen keyboard. Of course, this only matters for devices without a physical keyboard.

6. Settings: Tabs seems to have disappeared in 7. And, the big buttons leave less room for actual settings to toggle. It looks like Windows Mobile 7 users may have to go through many taps and screens to make simple settings changes. This can be done in a single window with tabs right now.

Based on what I see, the Windows Mobile 7 screens are prettier but much less functional that what we have now. I hope these shots are either a fake or early UI designs that are going to be dramatically changed for the better by the time Windows Mobile 7 is finally released in late 2010 (if you believe the rumors).

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