Marketplace Integration Confirmed for Windows Mobile 6.5?

In addition to the new honeycomb-like menu system, one of the more exciting features to be introduced in Windows Mobile 6.5 has to the be the marketplace integration.

It seems that just about every smartphone has some variation of this functionality already or it will very soon. The App Store for the iPhone has been a resounding success and with the pending release of paid apps through Android Market, G1 owners can get in on the fun as well. There’s also the BlackBerry stores for each provider on the way, so it only makes sense for Windows Mobile to do the same.

As you can see in the provided screenshot, it looks like the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM indeed has a “Marketplace” icon right in the center of the honeycomb. This or less confirms the availability of some sort of Windows Mobile marketplace, though it is also possible that this links to the Zune Marketplace for music and videos instead.

Clicking through on the app reveals an error message (would you expect anything less from Microsoft?) that says that the Windows Mobile Marketplace cannot connect and “there may be a problem with the Marketplace service right now.”

The problem? It doesn’t exist yet, but it seems that it will very soon.