We've been hearing about Verizon's upcoming HTC Whitestone for a while now, and it looks like a new pic and specs for the upcoming dual-mode CDMA / GSM Touch Diamond2 variant have leaked out. Seems like a mixed bag -- the revised case with a larger 3.6-inch WVGA display is impressive, but inside you're looking at Windows Mobile 6.1 running on a 528MHz Qualcomm processor with 256MB of RAM, so you've certainly lived through this experience before. That's pretty much the same case with the HTC Mega, which also leaked today: although it'll ship with WinMo 6.5 and that hot new version of TouchFLO 2D, it's a lower-end device with a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a three megapixel camera and yet another 528MHz Qualcomm proc with 256MB of RAM running the show. Oh, and just to round things out, there's a pic of the Dopod-branded HTC Tachi, which probably means this one's headed for China. Always nice to put a face to a name, though isn't it? Pics of the Mega and Tachi at the read link.

Well, well, there it is. The world's first and only Snapdragon phone available for retail, Toshiba's TG01, is up and dancing on Orange's UK site with a "coming soon" badge. Soon meaning the July 9th London press event, presumably, where this 9.9-mm slate running WinMo on a 4.1-inch 800x480 pixel display should get a shove out the retail door. Yes, Windows Mobile 6.1, why do you ask?

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

It's already out in Japan and a few select countries in Europe, now Toshiba's skinny TG01 is hitting London on Thursday, July 9th. Presumably the invite will be met with an official UK launch of Tosh's deftly skinned Snapdragon handset with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core. Then again, it could be a lot of tech reporters eating mini triangular sandwiches slathered with pickle spread discussing the HTC Hero for four hours. We'll let you know next week.

We're actually surprised we didn't make the connection earlier, but word on the street today is the rumored Samsung Omnia Pro will actually be a renamed Louvre B7610, a set that's been popping up a lot lately. Makes sense -- the Louvre's 3.5-inch WVGA AMOLED screen, 800MHz processor, and 5.1 megapixel camera match up nicely with the Omnia line. It's running Windows Mobile 6.1 right now, but we wouldn't be too surprised if the rumored August release date is held back to September or October to coincide with WinMo 6.5. One more pic after the break, couple more at the read links.

[Via Unwired View]

Read - Connect-UTB post
Read - Beyond3D forum post

We're not sure what kind of wilded-out party people need a single phone that can use both AT&T and T-Mobile 3G in the States, but your dreams have finally come true: the Pharos Traveller 137 is finally available. Hope you like Windows Mobile 6.1, cause that's what you're getting for your $350 on two-year T-Mo contract or $600 unlocked. Expensive, yes, but you're basically getting every feature you can think of and Pharos says the 137 is WinMo 6.5-ready, so there's an upgrade path here -- too bad no firmware will ever make that resistive touchscreen feel good.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Regardless of the cause, we certainly like the trend of these enhanced touch-screen UIs dominating the high-end cellphone market. Now meet ASUS' GUI slickness destined for their newest touchscreen devices including the ZX1. Starting with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core, ASUS slathers on a new customizable Multi-Home 3D interface meant to simplify access to your today screen, life and business applications. Think HTC's TouchFlo only sexier. ASUS even threw in some "album cover flow" to the media app and the ability to more easily manipulate all your digital media with enhanced figure gestures. You can even drop everything into a visual carousel if that's your preference. See for yourself in the video after the break.

While poking around the ASUS booth this morning we had a chance to witness the world premier unveiling of the ZX1 Lamborghini. We even took a few shots before it went under the glass. However, the real treat is the UI based on a Windows Mobile 6.1 core running special ASUS tweaks. It's "just like the iPhone" according to our friendly ASUS guide. The device is expected to fetch an unsubsidized €1,000 ($1,500) price tag when this 3G world-phone launches in Europe this May. Maybe you'll think it's worth it when we get back to you in a few with a video of the GUI albeit sans all that Lamborghini theme nonsense.

If you thought the X1's crazy panel interface was just a little too crazy for Windows Mobile 6, well, there might just be some truth to that. Mobile-review is reporting that the X1 will be among several late-2008 devices arriving with some post-6.0, pre-7.0 version of Windows Mobile that features a number of yet-to-be-disclosed goodies, which is why Sony Ericsson's generally been pretty stingy with the hands-on time at Mobile World Congress this week. We're not sure if this is simply another way of saying 6.1 or yet another interim build to hold us all over until the platform gets thoroughly revamped, but honestly, right now we're just kinda looking forward to sliding that beautiful keyboard open and closed a few times more than anything else.

[Via SEfanatics]

Not like Windows Mobile 6.1 is an elaborate mystery or anything -- heck, we even know all about the improvements it's slated to bring -- but there's nothing like a bucketful of screenshots surrounded by machine translated opinions to really revive that enthusiasm. Sure enough, the folks over at PocketPT were able get ahold of the software and show off just how it handled webpage zooming, threaded SMS conversations and Office 2007 documents. Still not convinced? Go on and hit the read link -- you skeptic, you.

[Via phoneArena]

Man, that goofy Moto Q9 over Boy Genius Report is just the gift that keeps on giving -- now we've got a five and a half minute video walkthrough of WinMo 6.1, showing off all the new features, including long-awaited threaded text messaging and new "Vista" theme, which looks pretty slick in action. No sense in talking about it when the whole vid is waiting after the break, get to it!

So this weird Motorola Q9 that Boy Genius Report came across is turning into quite a gold mine. First it revealed AT&T's apparent intention to let its guard down just a tad and start bringing more devices into the WiFi fold -- despite the obvious risk to data revenue -- and now it turns out that she's dressed to the nines with none other than Windows Mobile 6.1. A fleeting glance at most of the screens doesn't indicate any obvious changes from 6 (it is a .1 release, after all), but the devil's in the details: goodies like threaded SMS (Yahtzee!) and cut-and-freaking-paste on Standard (double Yahtzee!) alone should make it a worthwhile upgrade. 'Course, it's up to the carriers and manufacturers as usual to ultimately decide whether to push updates to existing devices, but it would be pure, unadulterated torture if the lion's share of devices didn't see official releases. Seriously, we'd cry.