Microsoft introduced Windows Mobile 6.5 this week and, as expected, the updated operating system for mobile phones incorporates some of the Zune design esthetics.

In particular, WinMo now has a clean home menu that appears to be fashioned after the Zune player user interface.

Debuting at the Mobile world Congress in Barcelona, WinMo 6.5 introduces a brand new “finger-friendly” interface. With a honeycomb layout (pictured) for selecting functions, smartphone users will be able to put those styluses and directional buttons away.

Having used my iPhone for several months, I appreciate some of the clever ways that Microsoft is advancing ease of use. Case in point: Checking for new email or voice-mail messages is probably the most common use I have for my iPhone, and with it I have to go through a series of swipes and icon touches to see a new email or voice-mail message. I do this repeatedly everyday. With WinMo, you can do this with one finger swipe:

“Microsoft has also developed a new way to efficiently use the home screen when it’s locked. If a user gets a new voice mail, for example, a voice mail icon appears on the locked home screen. The user can then press the icon and slide it off the screen. That single move unlocks the phone, launches the voice mail application and starts dialing the voice mailbox. The system works similarly for text messaging and e-mail.” – ComputerWorld.

The update will appear in phones starting in the second half of this year.

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Tags: Windows Mobile