Windows Mobile 6.1, a new smartphone operating system from Redmond, Washington based Microsoft, was officially launched on Tuesday at the CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association) Wireless 2008 conference in Las Vegas.

The launch of Windows Mobile 6.1 was pretty expected, as Microsoft had made reference to new smartphone operating system when it announced System Center Mobile Device Manager at the last CTIA show in October.

The new smartphone OS will be easier to set up. It includes a new Web browser, and features better support for small screens and e-mail management. It is designed to increase ease-of-use with several iPhone-esque features, such as pop-up alerts that notify users of missed calls, upcoming appointments, and new messages. It also helps playing music and sharing photos from the Windows Mobile home screen.

The new OS also includes a new "Getting Started Center" that's designed to help users accomplish basic setups tasks, such as configuring e-mail, connecting a Bluetooth headset or connecting to a Wi-Fi (802.11) network, Microsoft says. It also supports Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1), including support for administration and security policies.

The new mobile browser will also feature support for multimedia technologies such as H.264 (also known as MPEG-4), Adobe Flash, and Silverlight, Microsoft's competitor to Flash. The new smartphone OS is expected to become available on new phones later this quarter.

System Center Mobile Device Manager will allow IT administrators to more easily manage large numbers of corporate Windows Mobile smartphone users. It helps to back up data stored on smartphones, and recover that data if phone is lost. It allows the data to be encrypted on the phone via smart cards. It also implements a virtual private network (VPN) between corporate file servers and Windows Mobile-based smart phones, enabling sensitive data to be transmitted over public wireless networks.