WM6.1 upgrades--don't get your hopes up

Being a major player in the Windows Mobile device market, we naturally checked if HTC would be providing upgrades for its current crop of handsets to the recently launched WM6.1. The official word from the company is that only the HTC TyTN II will be upgraded in Asia in Q2. As the company's flagship model, the TyTN II should naturally be first in line. But what struck us as surprising was the exclusion of the Touch and Touch Dual, given that they will come with WM6.1 in the US. We have yet to get the official reason for this from HTC.

Unfortunately, there'll be no cutting and pasting text for most of Asia's Q 9h owners.

It wasn't limited to HTC, either. We've gotten word from HP that the iPaq 612 Business Navigator, due to be launched this month, will still ship with WM6, not 6.1. And while the US and Australian versions of the Motorola Q9 will be updated, those sold in most of Asia won't be. Why the discrepancies, and what should you as a user in Asia be expecting?

This time, you can't blame Microsoft

First up, it's important to know what's involved in bringing a device up from WM6 to 6.1. According to Microsoft, any hardware that can run 6 will run 6.1. So, technical limitation is not the reason for not upgrading a device. The software company also informed us that a manufacturer does not have to pay Microsoft additional licensing fees for 6.1 if they already have 6. So, with those facts established, it seems like an easy and cheap thing for manufacturers to do. But is it really?

The truth is that implementing 6.1 on a device is not as easy as just installing and shipping. While it's true you can download the 6.1 ROM off the Internet and install it on your own PDA-phone, any instabilities you may face has to be settled on your own (this is not officially supported, and we do not recommend doing it). Manufacturers do not have that luxury. Not only do its engineers have to test the new OS thoroughly, in-house applications (e.g. HTC's TouchFLO) have to be customized to work, too.

Upgrade versus new products

All these processes eat into the time of the engineers, time which can be used to speed up the release of new products. There's a choice here to be made: Provide a free upgrade for devices which have already been paid for by users, or make new ones that earn you more money? You can argue that providing the update may also increase sales of a current product. But given that each one has a limited life cycle, working on new products is a more lucrative option.

What about Asus, i-mate and MWg then, manufacturers which will be updating quite a number of their devices? Notice that these aren't brands that enjoy the popularity the likes of companies like HP and HTC do. It becomes an opportunity for the smaller players to get an advantage over the big boys.

Do you really need it?

For those with a PDA-phone, aside from the threaded SMS, you probably won't miss 6.1 much compared to the vanilla WM6. It does make quite a difference for those with smart phones as the improved Home screen and ability to copy and paste text are significant upgrades. So what can you do about it? Nothing much actually, except maybe send an email to the manufacturer telling the company you would be very grateful if an upgrade was provided. Here's a thought process that might help, too: Consider if you are willing to pay for the upgrade, say, US$20. If not, you probably don't want it that much anyway. But if you are willing to fork out cash for it, well, you just have to cross your fingers and wait for the official word if your device is not already in our upgrade calendar feature.