Windows Mobile 6.5 Native Contact Card Formats

Windows Mobile 6.5 relied on standardized protocols and specific interchange formats to transfer contact information natively between devices and computers. The operating system natively supported the industry-standard vCard (.vcf) format for single-contact transfers, while relying on synchronization protocols and SIM storage for broader contact management rather than providing a native bulk file export utility.

The Primary Format: vCard (.vcf)

The only standalone contact card format natively generated and exported by Windows Mobile 6.5 was the vCard format, utilizing the .vcf file extension.

Specifically, Windows Mobile 6.5 implemented the vCard 2.1 standard. The native Contacts application did not include a direct "Save as file" button in its user interface; instead, it generated .vcf files on the fly through transmission features:

  • Beam via Infrared (IrDA) or Bluetooth: Selecting "Beam Contact" triggered the operating system to package the contact's details into a standard vCard 2.1 .vcf stream transmitted to the receiving device.
  • Send via Messaging: Using the "Send Contact" option packaged the selected contact as a .vcf attachment sent through MMS or native email accounts.

The exported vCard 2.1 files natively preserved standard fields, including full names, company names, job titles, multiple telephone numbers (work, home, mobile), physical addresses, email addresses, and basic notes. Complex metadata or custom fields outside the 2.1 standard were typically stripped during native generation.

Absence of Native Bulk VCF Export

Windows Mobile 6.5 did not possess a native capability to export the entire contact database into a single multi-contact .vcf file or a batch of individual .vcf files directly to local storage (such as the device memory or a microSD card). To move the entire address book without third-party software (such as PIM Backup), users had to rely on synchronization rather than static file exports.

Alternative Native Export Mechanisms

Aside from individual vCard generation, Windows Mobile 6.5 provided native export pathways that used non-card formats:

  • SIM Card Transfer: The operating system included a native "Copy to SIM" feature. This did not produce a contact card format; instead, it converted contacts into basic flat-entry records stored on the SIM card's internal directory (EF_ADN). This stripped all rich data, preserving only a single name and a single telephone number per record.
  • ActiveSync and Exchange ActiveSync (EAS): When connecting to a PC via Windows Mobile Device Center (or ActiveSync on Windows XP) or syncing with a Microsoft Exchange server, contact data was exported natively using the proprietary AirSync protocol wrapped in WBXML (WAP Binary XML). This data populated Microsoft Outlook, where it was integrated into .pst or .ost databases rather than exported as discrete card files on the mobile device.