Hey, look, it's Windows... mobile. Get it? You know, Windows 95 on a mobile device -- ah, never mind. Point is, the S60 port of DOSBox seems to be doing some really crazy, insane, questionably-useful things for Symbian-powered devices around the world, and when running Windows 3.1 on a 320 x 240 display just doesn't do it for you anymore, you can apparently step up to a harder drug like Windows 95. The video shows good ol' 95 getting demoed on an N82, but given the molasses-like pace of absolutely everything, we'd say this is strictly a for-the-hell-of-it sort of experiment. Translation: there are better ways to run your BBS from the road. Follow the break for video.

[Thanks, Daniel]

Sure, we're still anticipating -- but not necessarily merrily -- the release of Windows Mobile 6.5, but for those who wish to look even farther into the future, Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer said in a conference call this week that WinMo 7 will be out sometime next year. That jibes pretty well with what we've heard from Motorola and ZDNet before, although there's probably a dozen or so known unknowns that could push it well into 2011 or beyond. For now, however, we're willing to take Steve at his word. Hey, at least they're not gearing up for a Windows Mobile 6.75 in the interim... right?

Remember that Windows Mobile 6.5-equipped HTC phone that was stolen from the Telstra exec at MWC? Well it looks like you can forget about any hands-on videos popping up -- to quote the immortal words of Will Smith from Men in Black, the device has apparently been flashy thing'd, from afar. According to an anonymous Microsoft staffer speaking to APC, the company remotely wiped all traces of the operating system and user data from the mobile as soon as it was reported pickpocketed, so unless the thief was smart enough to immediately place it in a faraday cage, this phone's probably a bit too frazzled for the limelight right now.

Looks like HTC CEO and President Peter Chou just spoiled Microsoft's MWC surprised. In his words, "Later today, together with Microsoft, we're introducing Windows Mobile 6.5." Whoops! Keep your eyes peeled, we'll be live at Microsoft's press conference at 9AM ET today.

Get enough Netflix / Microsoft synergy yet? We hope not, since that Netflix queue manager for Windows Mobile showcased during Steve Ballmer's CES keynote is slicker than we thought, with an exclusive streaming video preview feature. Whether DVD or Instant Watch that should add some enjoyment to your Netflix browsing, check out a YouTube demo after the break or just go ahead and download the app for yourself.

[Via My Philly Network]

Ready to get your Mesh on, Windows Mobile 6.x users? Fantastic. The Live Mesh team has just released (and updated, interestingly enough) the Live Mesh for Mobile client in beta form for users in the US and UK. After following the lead in the read link, you simply sign in with your LiveID and wait to be redirected to a device ring where you'll "Use Live Mesh for mobile devices." If your digital life has just seemed all sorts of out-of-sync lately, why not give this a go and see what it does for clearing things up?

[Via the::unwired]

We've heard it time and time again, but the inner Zune Guy within us refuses to believe Microsoft is really shunning the chance to pump out a handset of its very own. Unfortunately, Lady Luck hasn't done us any favors since the last time this question was posed, as Scott Rockfeld, group product manager for Windows Mobile, recently confirmed that Microsoft has "no plans to build [its] own phone." He continued by adding that "right now [it's] happy to share the limelight." C'mon Scott -- where's that tenacious spirit you had that first day in Redmond? Where's the unrelenting determination to conquer the competition? Where's... oh, never mind.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

Feeling a little left out after yesterday's Mac-based Pwnage Tool festivities, Windows users? Fret not, because the ever-vigilant, ever-studious hacking community has managed to come up with a series of steps to get you back on your feet again with a fully pwned first-gen handset. The whole shebang isn't necessarily for the most casual jailbreakers -- let's just say it isn't quite as straightforward as the Mac procedure yet -- but it'll allegedly get you going if you're starting with an iPhone running 1.1.4 (there are additional steps if you jumped the gun on 2.0, you impatient son of a gun, you -- think of it as penance). As always, exercise extreme caution, understand that this could cause your iPhone to spontaneously combust into a useless pile of metal, plastic, and ash, and let us know how it goes in comments.

[Thanks, Z-]

Given the sheer bulk of press Meizu's M8 has received over the course of its young, controversial life, it'd seem likely that even the slightest trickle of units onto Chinese store shelves would lead to unboxing shots, videos, and reviews within hours, wouldn't it? Reports are starting to flow across the 'nets that M8s are now being made available through several of Meizu's suppliers, but without a single in-the-wild picture of a fully functional, final spec unit -- from Meizu, much less a paying customer -- we're not buying it. For one thing, there aren't any "zomg I just picked up my m8!" posts on MeizuMe; secondly, MeizuMe's Err0r says that his site will be the "first place" we read about a release (and frankly, we believe him); and third, after the trials and tribulations the handset has gone through on its long journey to retail, you'd think that we'd at least see it at a trade show before it hit the streets. So, anyone want to prove us wrong by posting shots of their M8?

C'mon -- hop in this nifty time machine here and float with us back to December of 2006. That month, friends, is when Palm initially stated that it was cooking up a Vista-savvy iteration of its Desktop synchronization software, and yet, here we are some 13 months later wondering what took so long. Nevertheless, a finalized version of Desktop 6.2 for Vista has finally been loosed (half a year after the beta was revealed, mind you), and even though it does play nice with 32-bit editions of Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, 64-bit Vista / XP users are still left out in the cold. For Palm (and Vista) users out there willing to forgive the tardiness, go on and hit up the read link to get the 65.2MB file headed over.

[Via PDAStreet]

Yeah, it's Windows. Doesn't look much like Windows Mobile though, does it? That's 'cause it's not -- Intrinsyc's Soleus platform is a new software stack for phones based on Windows CE, not Windows Mobile, and the company has scored a huge win in signing up mega-ODM Quanta. The firm has committed to using Soleus to produce some sort of HSDPA device that is "expected to be a breakthrough in the design concept and user experience of today's wireless communications electronics" when it launches some time in the third quarter of next year. That sounds like a little bit of PR spin to us, but hey, if it means we get a totally fresh skin atop Microsoft's mobile core, we're all about it.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Word on the street (er, internet) is that Microsoft's oft-ignored Vista component, SideShow, could be making its official way to your favorite Windows Mobile-flavored device before long. If you'll recall, SideShow acts as a kind of mini-OS which is distributed to devices separate from a PC, such as remotes or external displays on laptops, and can be used to access information like contacts, maps, calendar appointments, and e-mail messages in a low-power, always-on state. Apparently, in a new SDK beta which the SideShow team "showed" off recently, features like a UI designed for portrait QVGA displays, a universal driver that supports USB and Bluetooth communication, and new Bluetooth menu commands have led some folks to speculate that the system could be coming to mobile devices sometime soon. Of course, this all unconfirmed rumor at this point, so don't feel compelled to believe it.

[Via the::unwired]

Trust us, the irony of someone needing to sync an Apple device through Windows that's running on a Mac is glaringly obvious, but hey, some folks just can't escape Outlook no matter how hard they try. Nevertheless, the new Parallels Desktop beta (which is available now) does add iPhone support in Windows XP and Vista along with a newly fortified Image Tool / Explorer and coherence windows that now work with Expose. Of course, you should recognize that this stuff is indeed still in beta, but if you're the daring (or overly trusting) type, feel free to hit the read link and get your download on.

[Via AppleInsider]

We know, this whole Vista-friendly Palm Desktop software was supposed to be launched, you know, about the same time as Vista itself, but we suppose late is better than never in this scenario. Without further ado, users yearning for a Vista-compatible flavor of Palm Desktop can finally claim their prize -- if you're down with betas, that is. Thankfully, Palm has made sure you're well aware of the limitations found in the software's current state (at least the ones it knew of), so be sure and give those instructions a once over while the 59.2MB file transfers over to make sure you don't fudge anything up.

[Via The Official Palm Blog]