WM2003 Seccond Edition announced (Updated)

[bkbroil]

PocketPCTools has found the official release of WM2003 SE from PocketPCParadise. They have included a few screen shots and I'm very excited. Once again, Nice Work PPCTools!
Go to PocketPCTools.com to see more screen shots and new applications included with WM2003 SE...

Key features of the new OS:
Native VGA support (Yay! )
Screen rotation (Yay! )
Pixel doubling
Support for square screens
Bigger system icons for VGA
User assignable shortcuts in Transcriber
User configurable font sizes on the Today screen and in the built-in programs (Yay! )
New frequently launched area in the Start Menu
WiFi support for WPA added
Better screen wrapping in Pocket Internet Explorer
SMS text messaging built in (Phone Edition)
Voice tags for contacts (Phone Edition)
According to PocketPC Paradise Toshiba intends to immediately offer an OS update to owners of the e800 devices (early May in France) (Yay! ) and to owners of the e400 the beginning of June.

[Brad Isaac]

That's pretty cool...
I've read some posts from people who were reluctant to apply the new iPAQ h2215 ROM update because they heard the new WM2003 2nd ed. was going to be announced this week. I maintained that there is a long wait between announcing the new OS and it actually being released. Even if it is released in a couple months we may have to wait even longer for each manufacturer to implement it.
I'm glad I updated my ROM the day it was released

[bkbroil]

You can add Brighthand to the mix. Ed Hardy has done an overview of WM2003 SE. He goes into detail of what's included and what's not.
All the standard applications now have both portrait and landscape versions. There will be a session at Mobile DevCon called "Developing Screen Orientation-Aware Applications for Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs" that will explain to developers how to update their applications to they can take advantage of landscape mode. Microsoft has also released an updated Windows Mobile Developer Resource Kit with the information developers need.
Other Changes
Though VGA support and orientation switching are the two largest changes, Microsoft has also made a number of other improvements in Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.
There is a new section in the Start Menu which will display the most frequently used applications. This is divided from the list of applications that appear because they are stored in the Start folder.
Transcriber will gain the ability to use shortcuts. These will let users write a short code phrase that will be replaced with a much longer piece of commonly used text. Shortcuts can also be used to launch applications.
The new version of Pocket Internet Explorer will also be able to force web pages into a single column, similar to the way NetFront 3.1 and Opera does. This will make reading web sites not formatted for handhelds easier.
The second edition will also get WPA (WiFi Protected Access), which was developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance in an attempt to make wireless networks more secure.
What Isn't Changed
Though adding higher-resolution screens and dynamic switching of screen orientation are very significant improvements, Microsoft has not made the myriad of other changes to the operating system people have been hoping for, like the ability to easily shut down running applications or an improved version of Pocket Office.
Those hoping for these improvements will have to set their sights on the next versions of the operating system which is expected to be called Windows Mobile 2005.