Windows Mobile 6.5 to support custom themes and ‘Titanium’ homescreen plug-ins

What is this “Titanium” gibberish that keeps popping up around mentions of Windows Mobile? Well, “Titanium” refers to the sliding-panel homescreen interface first debuted with Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard and now integrated into Windows Mobile 6.5. And, it looks like the upcoming WinMo 6.5 platform will be much more customizable in terms of UI aesthetics and will even support “Titanium” homescreen plug-ins.

Windows Mobile “themes” have traditionally been little more than tweaked color schemes and background pictures. With WM6.5, that all changes. Windows Mobile 6.5 will support custom themes outfitted with custom icons/badges, in addition to customized colors and background images. It may not sound drastic, but a customized set of icons can give the homescreen an entirely new look. And, when paired with “Titanium” homescreen plug-ins, Windows Mobile 6.5’s user interface promises to be the most customizable UI on market.

WM6.5 will allow the user to install third-party “Titanium” homescreen panels as plug-ins. For example, two already-developed “Titanium” plug-ins show that homescreen panels can really be useful – “Favorite people” plugin and “TitaniumWeather” plugin. Both “Titanium” plug-ins display at-a-glance information on a single panel, providing more in-depth information with a simple side-scroll of the panel.

With support for more customizable themes and homescreen plug-ins, Windows Mobile 6.5 may live up to its intended role, as a Windows Mobile 7 stop-gap, quite well.

[Via: istartedsomething]