Windows Mobile Primps for Enterprises
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News Brief. Microsoft is right to make mobility a priority—emphasized through today's CTIA announcements. |
CTIA Wireless 2008 opened today in Las Vegas, where Microsoft touted new and upcoming mobile products and services:
- System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008
- MMSP (Microsoft Mobile Services Plan)
- Windows Mobile 6.1
- Internet Explorer Mobile
- Windows Live Search for BlackBerry
- Windows Live Search for Windows Mobile
The new System Center product is immediately available. The new version supports Windows 6.1 devices, and it is available through volume licensing.
MMSP is a new forthcoming product for mobile operators, but focuses on business customers. Microsoft was a bit oblique about MMSP, but my read is this: Microsoft is using the software to drive carrier adoption of Mobile Device Manager and Exchange Server 2007. These would be the platforms for delivering MMSP. Microsoft claims that AT&T, Orange, O2, TaTa Teleservices and Verizon Wireless are in discussions to deploy MMSP.
Windows Mobile 6.1 rumors circulated for weeks. So today's announcement is no surprise. What is surprising: Microsoft claims availability on many new phones during second quarter. Generally, there has been longer lag time on new supporting phones. The update reportedly will be available for some existing phones, such as the AT&T Tilt.
Internet Explorer Mobile is getting a big makeover, or so Microsoft claims. I'll want to see it first. In what I can only presume is a belated effort to catch up with iPhone's Safari, IE Mobile will support full-page Web browsing. Without testing, I can't say if this means real HTML support or not. IE Mobile also will support Flash, H.264 and Silverlight; I had thought that IE supported Flash, but I would need to check a Windows Mobile device. Microsoft doesn't expect to release the updated browser to mobile carriers until third quarter. The company claims availability by end of year. That's way too long to be competitive.
Windows Live Search enhancements will be available in the spring for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. The update will bring voice search capabilities to BlackBerry.
CTIA estimates there are nearly 257 million wireless subscribers just in the United States.
Comments (1)
I think there is a little to much emphasis being placed on "full page browsing." Apple's "real internet" marketing sure got people excited but I don't understand why. At home, I've gotten use to having pages load in a second or less. I find it frustrating to use a mobile browser and have to wait for a page to load in 15 or more seconds. Furthermore, I do very little "browsing" while on the go. Yes, there are certainly sites I go to: Maps, maybe video sites every now and then and my favorite blog or facebook. I doubt most people even do that much though. The small screen(even on the iphone)and the relatively slow connection just make browsing no fun. So why don't companies focus instead on making web application that run on the phone rather than web browsers. Like the way adobe air works, but on a phone. Apps tailored for mobile use or more intuitive on a phone and use less bandwidth, not to mention no more zoooooming. I say down with the full internet on my phone. more mobile web applications!
Posted by Jim | April 1, 2008 10:52 PM