The new look and features of Windows Mobile 6.5 show that Microsoft is clearly interested in mastering both the consumer and business market when it comes to portable devices.

Windows Mobile 6.5 offers an improved interface, which makes it easy to launch applications, surf the Web and check e-mail, all without overcomplicating the basic features needed on a cell phone.

And it’s pretty clear that Microsoft is looking for a piece of the Apple pie by including the ability to quickly and easily buy applications from Microsoft’s revamped Microsoft Mobile Marketplace, which will compete directly against Apple’s App Store.

Other notable enhancements include larger icons for easier touch-screen launch, round navigation buttons to ease Web surfing, and hide-away menus that maximize screen real estate.

Microsoft has put a great deal of effort into IE Mobile, hoping to enhance the browsing experience for those using smartphones for Web surfing. The idea is to make complex Web tasks much easier to accomplish, allowing Windows Mobile 6.5-powered devices to work with cloud applications and business programs. The company has even built support for Flash Lite into the new IE Mobile browser, hoping to bring video capabilities to the device to compete with iPhones and iPod Touch devices.

Microsoft’s ultimate goal is to bring smartphones into the unified communications market, by combining multimedia technologies into a single endpoint device. If the speed increases and new features and usability match expectations, Windows Mobile 6.5 will become the mobile answer for unified communications, leaving Apple to struggle with the iPhone's lack of business integration.