On Monday, Microsoft has unveiled the new version of its smartphone operating system, during the GSMA Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. Users will be able to see Windows Mobile 6.5 in action on various smartphones starting July 2009.

The details provided by the Redmond giant show that the company focused on the touchscreen interaction between the user and the phone, revealing the powerful influence that Apple had in the smartphone market.

Greg Sullivan, senior product manager at Microsoft, stated that the new Windows Mobile version is more focused on consumers’ needs, but it still keeps the powerful tools that made this product successful among business users.

While some phone manufacturers and many users criticized Microsoft for keeping an outdated interface in Windows Mobile 6.1, companies like LG have recently announced that they would use Microsoft’s OS as their primary software platform for their products in the near future.

During the demo of Windows Mobile 6.5, Sullivan showed an HTC Touch Pro that had a beta version of the new software. Sullivan stated that the operating system would be ready soon and that manufacturers would release Win Mobile 6.5 powered phones in the second half of 2009.

Functionality-wise, Windows Mobile 6.5 moves to the next level, as users will not depend on styluses in order to do simple tasks anymore. The home screen and the menus are dominated by big icons, which Microsoft claims that they can be manipulated with the user’s thumb, even on phones with smaller screens.

Another welcomed upgrade is the updated version of Internet explorer Mobile, which now happily supports Flash videos. A Flash video player is also bundled with the web browser.

Even though not necessary parts of the operating system, the My Phone sync application and the Marketplace for Mobile services will be also available starting with Windows Mobile 6.5.