Microsoft might be forgiven for feeling a bit hard done by with all the negative press it gets for Windows Mobile, but slip-ups like not allowing existing customers to upgrade to the new Pocket Internet Explorer aren't really helping the cause.
The new version was confirmed as a 'new handset only' affair by the Windows Mobile Team Blog, meaning that if you were desperate to have a go on the new browser the only option would be to get a new handset.
The new browser, strange retro stylings aside, has got some decent features, namely tabbed browsing and an inbuilt search engine.
Opera-lovers rejoice
But the decision to only put the browser on new handsets highlights the reason Opera et al is often preferred on WinMo-powered handsets.
"Regarding making IE Mobile available as a separate download or update, the rich media experiences that IE Mobile 6 enables require more powerful, advanced devices.
"That is why it will not be available as an upgrade or direct download for current phones, but rather will be made available on new phones," waffles one of the bloggers, Khush, mercilessly.
He also told us that the browser would be coming over Christmas, and that it contains elements from iE8, designed for the desktop.
We assume that means we can be expecting some super-powerful handsets in the near future then, right? Because surely the current cast list of the Samsung Omnia, a whole host of HTCs and a smattering of others are pretty powerful in their own right?
