Although there aren't many details currently available, word on the street is that Microsoft has previewed an update to its smartphone operating system, Windows Mobile 6, to the lucky few attending the annual Mobius conference.The first report I read came from Engadget this morning, stating that it's an "update, not an upgrade" running on existing hardware. Manufacturers will be able to get their hands on the new software in the first quarter of next year. Here are some of Engadget's preliminary (and vaguely put) impressions:

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Very slick, and has a lot of features that just about any WinMo user will agree is way overdue. In other words, we're expecting users will be stoked -- no doubt about it.

The update isn't Windows Mobile 7, dubbed by Microsoft as "Photon," which also is expected to be released next year and said to be powered by Windows Embedded CE 6.0.

Sorry, folks, that's all I know for now. Details will surface in the near future, likely at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas in January.