Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 coming to Windows Mobile 6.5

Windows Mobile 6.5 might not be the most compelling smartphone platform out there, but a new rumor could give potential Windows Mobile users a good reason to choose Microsoft to run their next smartphone. Word has it that Redmond is planning to launch Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 for Windows Phones running the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS. What’s more, the latest version of Office Mobile is expected to work only with Windows Mobile 6.5 – previous versions, like Windows Mobile 6.1, aren’t going to be compatible.

A Microsoft FAQ mentions that Office Mobile 2010 can be launched from the Windows Mobile 6.5 Start menu and will feature compatibility with Open Office files, will be able to open documents attached to emails or stored on the phone, and will work with SharePoint Server 2010 and Windows Live services.

Windows Mobile has been losing market share to the likes of the iPhone and BlackBerry. Consumers are flocking to the iPhone platform and its hundred thousand-strong AppStore. Business users are looking to the BlackBerry platform for productivity. In a bid to regain mindshare, Microsoft is pushing their consumer-friendly “Windows Phone” brand as a smartphone platform to help you stay productive in both your business and personal life. It’s not clear how the consumer push will fare, but making Office Mobile 2010 exclusive to Windows Mobile 6.5 could help bring in more enterprise customers.

[Via: MobileTechWorld]