We can understand not investing in a deprecated product, we really can -- but when you consider the fact that Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 is still sold around the world, the fact that its hardware is still thoroughly modern, and the fact that Windows Mobile 6.5 is a trivial boost over 6.1, there's really no excuse for this. Sony Ericsson has gone ahead and made it official that it won't be providing an official 6.5 upgrade for its uber-pricey fallen smartphone that never quite achieved its seemingly stratospheric potential -- and its 6.5-based replacement isn't looking much more promising -- so we imagine this is going to spark a voracious run on hackery to get picture-perfect 6.5 builds working on units in the field. Oh, wait, that already happened! No worries, Sony Ericsson -- looks like we've got this one covered then.

Office 2010 is getting a big companion piece for handsets in the form of Office Mobile 2010, which is being made available today in concert with the suite's beta release. It's a pretty major overhaul thanks to comprehensive, WYSIWYG editing capability in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the addition of SharePoint Workspace Mobile for managing Office documents off your office's servers, and a trick Bluetooth mode for PowerPoint that lets you effectively use your handset as a second screen by showing you your slide notes in real time while running a presentation off your PC. You can grab it now off Windows Marketplace in beta form, but be warned: it's only for 6.5, and we're being told that it won't be back-ported to 6.0 or 6.1 for the retail release.

When two of Japan's largest mobile carriers conspire to release nearly 40 phones in the span of 24 hours, editors covering the story are sure to lose hair and a solid year of lifespan -- but for consumers in the local market, it's nothing but good news. Here are some of the highlights from NTT DoCoMo:

• Fujtsu F-02B: Described as a "jewelry quality" phone with a snap-on perfume holder for "an air of elegance."
• LG L-03B: Has support for Korean, Japanese, and English for frequent travelers (in other words, English speakers, if you find yourself on this archipelago and you don't speak a lick of the local tongue, seek out this phone).
• Sharp SH-04B: Designed to look like a melting chocolate bar by food-themed wardrobe accessory maker Q-Pot -- for some reason we don't fully comprehend.
• Fujitsu F-04B: Realizing the concept shown off at CEATEC last year, this one features a removable keyboard that operates via Bluetooth and a 12.1 megapixel camera.
• Panasonic P-01B: This flip looks like pretty much every other in the lineup, but its got a secret -- the keypad doubles as a touchpad. Clever.
• Samsung SC-01B: Samsung's Windows Mobile 6.5-powered entry here appears to be a remix of the B7330 sold globally, which makes it about 1,000 times weaker than every other phone in the lineup.

And from Softbank:

• Sharp AQUOS Mobile FULLTOUCH 941SH: All we need to say about this one is "4-inch 1024 x 480 display," which, as you might be able to imagine, is a world's first.
• Sharp AQUOS Mobile 943SH: Dual one-seg tuners let you watch one program and record another, and a mention of transferring Blu-ray content has us thinking that Managed Copy is along for the ride.
• Toshiba dynapocket X02T: Remember how NTT DoCoMo had previously gotten the TG01 as the T01A? Yeah, well, now it's Softbank's turn -- and this time, it's called the X02A. Not much more to it than that.
• Samsung X01SC: This looks to be a localized version of AT&T's Samsung Jack, of all phones, meaning that it's a Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard phone (no touchscreen) with a QVGA display and portrait QWERTY keyboard.
• Sharp 942SH KT: No lineup would be complete without the obligatory Hello Kitty marketing tie-in, and the 942SH KT does the honors this time around with a black shell featuring stylized pink text and graphics.
• Samsung OMNIA VISION 940SC: Samsung's now-famous OMNIA brand comes to Softbank on the wings of a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, one-seg tuner, and kickstand for desktop viewing.
• Sharp Jelly Beans 840SH: We don't think you'd want to try eating it, but the 840SH comes in seven colors -- hence the name, we think.
• Android: The simply-named Android runs -- you guessed it -- Android with a 3.7 inch AMOLED display and 1GHz Snapdragon processor; unfortunately, it won't be available until next Spring and the manufacturer isn't being revealed right now.

Both companies are also adding wireless digital photo frames to the lineup, and in Softbank's case, a pair of data modems with support for 7.2Mbps on the downlink. We'll admit -- we didn't think we'd live to see the day when Canada had three live networks with data rates trouncing Japan's.

Read - Softbank Winter '09 / Spring '10 collection
Read - NTT DoCoMo's new series

The HD2 has largely blinded us to any other Windows Mobile-based HTC in the lineup right now, but be that as it may, there are other products in the mix, believe it or not -- and Rogers apparently has its eye on one of 'em. Rumor has it that the Canadian carrier is looking at scooping up the low-end Touch2, possibly in a couple wild colors like red and blue -- and considering what we see here in these spy shots, we'll go out on a limb and say that those color choices would be a Good Thing. The phone itself lacks the kind of excitement and buzz that a middling Android-powered phone like the Tattoo is still capable of garnering, so eye-popping cases might be just what the doctor ordered to keep this one in the mix at the cash register. There's no word on pricing or availability for this one just yet... but yeah, Rogers, how about that HD2?

It's not often that a manufacturer pushes a Windows Mobile version bump in a timely fashion, so color us impressed to see that Samsung has now released an official 6.5 upgrade for the Jack on AT&T. 6.5 is a relatively minor bump over 6.1 in the non-touch Standard world -- Professional devices are getting the lion's share of improvements -- but users will be happy to find that they're getting an updated Internet Explorer Mobile, Windows Marketplace access, and automated free connections to AT&T WiFi hotspots (anything to offload cellular strain, right?). Grab it now from Samsung's site, make sure your battery's charged, and let 'er rip.

Bell and Telus are both making quick work of forgetting their legacy CDMA networks and bringing gobs of sexy, high-profile devices to their new HSPA digs -- presumably in an effort to get folks switched over as quickly as possible and steal Rogers customers posthaste -- and the latest is Samsung's Omnia II, which will be coming to Bell in GSM form (despite the fact that Verizon is bringing a CDMA version to market). Featuring a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 5 megapixel cam, WinMo 6.5, and 16GB of storage on board, the phone definitely rests at or near the top of the current WinMo crop -- but the real news here is the fact that the phone has just been selected as the Official Mobile Device of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which we suppose means you can use it with pride while bobsledding, lugeing, curling, slaloming, or whatever other arctic sports you enjoy. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the phone will be available this month; let's just hope that Olympic endorsement doesn't drive up the MSRP, eh?

The overwhelming mediocrity of Windows Mobile 6.5 gives us pause before saying something sensational like "it's a great time to be a WinMo fan," but we've got to admit, manufacturers are really stepping up their game to deliver these days -- one need look no further than the mighty HD2 to see that. The Omnia II's looking pretty solid, too, especially if you like your phones served up keyboard-free, and ai.rs blog has compiled a comprehensive screenshot gallery showing just how deep the TouchWiz integration really goes. Build quality is said to be top-notch, and it's pretty hard to argue with a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display -- so as we go into 2010, it looks like we might be gearing up for an epic TouchFLO / TouchWiz showdown in the WinMo octagon. Who doesn't like a good fight?

[Thanks, msav]

You've already seen the HD2 that HTC would have you see, but now it's time to take the obligatory journey to the world of unboxings. Seen here in "not-yet-final" packaging, the WinMo 6.5-packin' handset looks sexier than ever, even in that still-to-be-tweaked green box. Hop on past the break and mash play if you're looking to get all sorts of jealous this morning.

It feels like these phones have been on sale for a solid six months for some weird reason, but in reality, Acer's 2009 line of WinMo 6.5 devices -- including the range-topping F1 -- are finally out and about with shiny new names to boot. As we'd previously heard, the Snapdraon-powered F1 is actually going to market as the S200 and will sit in the high-end neoTouch range, while the E100, E101, and E200 will slum it down in the beTouch series. All four are touch-equipped and range in price from £159 to £295 ($259 to $481) at retail, and when you consider that they're all fully unlocked and unbranded, that may not be so bad of a deal -- particularly for that sexy S200 up there.

[Via Slashgear]

Those looking for a slightly more QWERTY-equipped WinMo 6.5 device for AT&T than the HTC Pure need look no further than its stablemate, the Tilt2, now that it's officially available to all comers. The carrier's second model to use Microsoft's latest and greatest cut of Windows Mobile stays pretty true to its Touch Pro2 roots, offering an industrial-strength full duplex speakerphone, 3.2 megapixel cam, WVGA tilt-up display, and of course, that five-row QWERTY keyboard that makes banging out long emails and extended MMS tirades just a little more tolerable. Interest parties should come bearing gifts and plenty of cash, because it'll run $349.99 on contract before a $50 mail-in rebate.

[Via PhoneDog]

HTC promised way back at Mobile World Congress in February that the Touch Pro2 would be fully upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5 when the binaries went gold, and... well, here we are. Sure enough, they're making good on the promise by rolling out official updates for both the Touch Pro2 and the Snap so far, though this is one of those situations where availability for your particular version of the phone is going to depend on carrier branding, locking, and the phase of the moon, among other things -- so if the updates don't work for you, you can wait for your carrier to get in gear or, you know, try your luck over with the always-helpful xda-developers to roll your own update.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

Read - HTC Snap
Read - HTC Touch Pro2

Hey, Britons: about a nice three-pack of "wow!" to start your week off right? We'd like to direct your attention over to Vodafone, where three particularly notable handsets that we've been following in recent months are now in stock and ready for delivery. The HTC Tattoo represents the new low end in Android fare, bringing a resistive QVGA display and a 3.2 megapixel cam to the table -- it'll go out the door for free on a £25 monthly plan. Heading over to the Windows Mobile side of the trailer park, the GM750 is a Voda exclusive loaded to the hilt with that newfangled WinMo 6.5 everyone's been talking about these days; it comes loaded up with a 5 megapixel camera and, like the Tattoo, can be yours for nary a penny on a £25 plan. Finally -- get ready -- the Symbian-powered Satio from Sony Ericsson is ready for your consumption, all 12.1 megapixels of it, for just another 10 quid a month. We'll take all three, thanks.

[Via Electronista]

Read - Sony Ericsson Satio
Read - HTC Tattoo
Read - LG GM750

Unlike the Pure's transformation from its Touch Diamond2 roots, AT&T's Tilt 2 is very much a Touch Pro2 for look and feel. Given our past experiences with the device, we'd say that'll suit the phone's business-oriented clientele just fine -- it's not like you'd want to turn it into a "fun" phone by coating it in wacky colors and preloading it with every social networking client this side of Orkut, after all. We didn't have a ton of time to pore over the interface, but we get the impression that TouchFLO is largely intact (though tweaked by AT&T, naturally) and the keyboard's different than what you'll find on the generic European version -- the top row is all symbols with a numeric pad (a little staggered, unfortunately) near the right side. Check out a few more sexily-lit shots in the gallery.

Verizon's matching AT&T tit-for-tat in the race to get the first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices out of the door with the launch of the HTC Imagio, a phone that essentially amounts to a more deluxe version of the Touch Diamond2 with a larger screen, 3.5mm headphone jack, combo CDMA and GSM radios (both with 3G) for global roaming, and a FLO TV tuner to support Verizon's VCAST TV service. We've had just a few brief moments to play with the Imagio so far, but after coming from the Pure -- the AT&T-branded model that we used to compile our initial impressions of WinMo 6.5 -- it's a real treat. It looks and feels like a higher-end device thanks to a proliferation of soft-touch plastic (as opposed to the Pure's glossy cover) and the kickstand is a cute touch, perfect for when you've got a few minutes to kill and you want to fire up the FLO-powered tube.

Follow the break for video and more impressions!

Looking for a worthy successor to that aging Ace? Sprint customers need no longer wonder when they'd be up for their own dose of WinMo 6.5 because the carrier has officially announced the Intrepid, a portrait QWERTY device that basically brings the design of the OmniaPRO B7320 and AT&T's Jack over the CDMA world. Like its predecessor, though, the Intrepid isn't just about CDMA -- it'll also do GSM for global roaming, so feel free to pack it as you gallivant across the Mediterranean, and unlike the Jack, the Intrepid's got a QVGA touchscreen up top to compliment the chiclet keys down below. At any rate, you'll be able to pick this up starting this Sunday, October 11 for $149.99 on contract after rebates -- the same price as a Pure over on AT&T, coincidentally, so pick your poison.

[Thanks, Jay]