Posted by flung in Uncategorized12 Feb 2007 12:18 am
Microsoft formally introduces Windows Mobile 6
The press release announcing the release of Windows Mobile 6 finally came out today although the new mobile OS was actually announced a bit earlier than planned last week.
Here’s the basic lowdown to all the new features of Windows Mobile 6:
- Better looking e-mail. You will now be able to view e-mail the way it was intended
- Built in support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology
- Updated Office Mobile suite preserves formatting while allowing you to make edits
- E-mail management and setup now performed in less clicks. Microsoft introduces nine one-click options
- Supports Windows Vista (well actually current Windows Mobile devices already support Vista)
- Smart calendar bar gives users the ability to understand at a glance, the day or week ahead of them
- Introduces Windows Live for Windows Mobile bringing Web search, e-mail, IM, and blogging into one package
- Contacts with context. Call history is now separated by the contacts
Windows Mobile 6 also introduces several new features for Business users including:
- A variety of new security options including new Exchange Server policies and certificate options, storage card encryption, and support for remote and local device wipe
- Supports Information Rights Management (IRM) technology to help control the viewing, storing, and printing of confidential information
- New mobile versions of Microsoft .NET Compact Framework and Microsoft SQL Server
- New internet sharing feature allowing Windows Mobile 6 smartphone to be used as a laptop’s high speed modem using either Bluetooth or cable connection
- Support for VoIP solution
Although Windows Mobile 6 is now officially out, don’t expect to immediately see a flood of mobile devices with the new OS. In fact, you’ll probably need to wait until the second quarter before the first Windows Mobile 6 powered devices come out. In Europe, Orange will introduce the SPV E650 smartphone from HTC. In Japan, SoftBank Mobile will provide Windows Mobile 6 devices from both Toshiba and HTC. Finally, here in the US, T-Mobile will update the Dash to Windows Mobile 6. Again – don’t expect any of this to happen for another few months (Current Dash users will also be able to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 from their current 5.)
For more information, make sure to read the press release which follows this.
Here is the press release:
Microsoft Reveals New Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone Software, Improves World’s Fastest-Growing Mobile Operating System
Latest software to feature new messaging tools, tighter security and
improved productivity features; devices to begin shipping worldwide by
second quarter of 2007
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp.
(Nasdaq: MSFT) today unveiled Windows Mobile(R) 6, the newest version of
its mobile software platform. By improving usability and adding support for
Microsoft(R) Office features previously available only on PCs, Microsoft
Windows Mobile 6 delivers to the small screen a familiar and rich
experience that meets the needs of work and life while on the go, all with
a single device.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
"A work force that is both mobile and connected is becoming essential
for business success," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "That's why
we're integrating innovative mobile technologies into all our key products,
with Windows Mobile as the centerpiece."
Windows Mobile 6 delivers the ability to view e-mails in their original
rich HTML format with live links to Web and SharePoint(R) sites, which
means text and images are displayed as they would be on a PC, and are
available from a corporate e-mail server such as Exchange Server 2007, from
Web-based accounts such as Windows Live(TM) Hotmail or from a myriad of
other popular service providers. Windows Mobile 6 also includes Windows
Live for Windows Mobile, which provides customers with a rich set of
Windows Live services. For example, now through Windows Live Messenger,
people can chat with more than one person at one time, express themselves
through animated figures, quickly send a file or image, or record and send
voice notes.
The newest version of the platform offers the most genuine Microsoft
Office system experience in the mobile versions of Office Outlook(R),
Office Word, Office Excel(R) and Office PowerPoint(R) by bringing
capabilities once available only on the PC versions of these products to
the small screen. This allows users to neatly view, navigate and edit Word
documents and Excel spreadsheets in their original formatting, without
affecting tables, images or text, and to view PowerPoint presentations on
their device.
All Windows Mobile 6 powered devices include Direct Push Technology for
up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook
calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server. Windows
Mobile 6 also offers a set of important device security and management
features that include the capability to remotely wipe all data from a
device should it be lost or stolen, helping ensure that confidential
information remains that way.
Broad Industry Support to Result in Broader Choice of Devices
By the second quarter of this year, the world will see the first
Windows Mobile 6 powered devices available on the market. In Europe, Orange
plans to deliver the SPV E650 smartphone from HTC, and in Japan, SoftBank
Mobile Corp. will offer new devices from Toshiba and HTC. And in the United
States, the popular T-Mobile Dash will be updated with Windows Mobile 6 and
be available in the coming months. Current T-Mobile Dash owners will also
be able to upgrade existing devices with Windows Mobile 5.0 to Windows
Mobile 6.
Scores of additional mobile operators and device makers from around the
globe, including Cingular Wireless, now the new AT&T, Chunghwa Telecom,
Dopod International Corp., HP, LG Electronics, Motorola Inc., Palm Inc.,
Samsung, Sprint, Telefonica, Toshiba, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, plan
to ship Windows Mobile 6-based devices this year. Many of these partners
are expanding large existing portfolios of Windows Mobile powered
smartphones.
"In a highly sophisticated mobile market such as Japan, people are
turning to powerful and intuitive mobile devices to stay competitive in the
business world," said Ted Matsumoto, executive vice president of technology
and chief strategy officer at SoftBank. "We continue to work with Microsoft
to equip SoftBank Mobile customers with the most cutting-edge tools in
mobile technology and are excited that they will be able to experience the
enhanced features and functionality of Windows Mobile 6 on two new smart
devices from Toshiba and HTC."
Information Management Made Easier
Users of the Microsoft Office system on the PC - of which there are
nearly 400 million worldwide - will feel right at home with the new mobile
versions of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint available for Windows
Mobile 6 powered devices. Windows Mobile 6 addresses extensive user
feedback and makes information management easier and more convenient
through the following improvements:
-- Better-looking e-mail. Users view e-mail the way it was intended with
its original pictures, tables and formatting, whether from a corporate
e-mail server such as Exchange Server 2007, Web-based accounts such as
Windows Live Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail, or a wide range of other service
providers.
-- Ease of viewing and editing of Office system documents. The new Office
Mobile suite, built for all Windows Mobile powered devices, gives
users a truly familiar and powerful experience with rich viewing and
editing capabilities, without having to worry about the deletion of
critical formatting and images.
-- E-mail management and setup with fewer clicks. Nine new one-click
options have been added, including Reply All, setting a flag, moving a
message to a subfolder, and, of course, Delete. Users can set an
automatic out-of-office reply while on the road when using a Windows
Mobile 6 powered device and Exchange Server 2007.
-- Synchronization with Windows Vista. Windows Vista(TM) and the Windows
Mobile Device Center take the guesswork out of managing a device and
swapping music, pictures, movies and Outlook information between PC
and the device.
-- Smart calendar bar. This innovative new feature gives users the
ability to understand at a glance the day or week ahead and quickly
determine open time on their schedules. With Exchange Server 2007,
they can see who is attending a meeting and forward or reply to
meeting requests.
-- Web search, e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and blogging all together.
Windows Live for Windows Mobile will provide customers with a rich set
of services including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger,
Live Search and Windows Live Spaces, uniquely designed to work with
Windows Mobile software. Users can also find all their contacts in one
unified list and see presence information on their Windows Live
Messenger contacts.
-- Contacts with context. Call history is now placed where it belongs, in
each individual contact card, so people spend less time searching and
more time communicating.
"T-Mobile is excited to make it even easier for our customers to stay
connected to the people that matter most with the increased functionality
delivered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6," said Cole Brodman, senior vice
president and chief development officer at T-Mobile USA. "The T-Mobile Dash
is already one of our best-selling smartphones, so we're thrilled to
improve on an already great communications experience for our customers."
The Best Platform for Business
Windows Mobile efficiently works with existing Microsoft business
technology investments and offers users a familiar software experience,
making it the smartest mobile solution for businesses to deploy:
-- Security options. The platform offers a variety of security options,
giving IT departments ways to help secure a device, including new
Exchange Server policies and certificate options, storage card
encryption, and continued support for remote and local device wipe.
-- Protected content. Organizations using Information Rights Management
(IRM) technology to help control the viewing, storing and printing of
confidential information on PCs can now extend those capabilities to
Windows Mobile 6 powered devices, a feature not available on any other
mobile phone platform.
-- Line-of-business applications. Powerful, new mobile versions of the
Microsoft .NET Compact Framework and Microsoft SQL Server(TM) are
built into Windows Mobile 6, making it even easier to create and
access sales tools, inventory tracking and many other applications
from a Windows Mobile 6 powered smartphone.
-- Internet sharing. A new built-in application makes using a Windows
Mobile 6 powered smartphone as a laptop's high-speed modem "one-click
easy" with either a Bluetooth wireless or cable connection.
-- Communication alternatives. Windows Mobile 6 makes it easier for
operators and device-makers to integrate a voice over Internet
protocol (VoIP) solution into devices they are building. British
Telecom in Europe, as well as HP, will be among the first to provide
smartphones with new VoIP offerings for their business customers.
"As the first operator to ever release a Windows Mobile Smartphone,
Orange has always had a strong relationship with Microsoft, and the launch
of Windows Mobile 6 is a natural continuation of our story together," said
Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO of Orange. "Now more than ever our customers can enjoy a
straightforward mobile working experience with fast access to e-mail and
business applications. The increased security removes barriers to mobile
working, allowing more people to experience the benefits of having their
office with them on the move."
Windows Mobile 6 comes fresh on the heels of a successful year that saw
Microsoft's worldwide converged mobile device shipments grow 135.3 percent
(year over year) in 2006, according to leading IT market research and
advisory firm IDC. The industry is fast taking notice of Microsoft in the
wireless arena and realizing the business benefits of Windows Mobile
devices, resulting in IDC's expectation that Windows Mobile will experience
the largest growth of any mobile operating system worldwide, at 75.6
percent, through the year 2010.*
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
* IDC, Worldwide Mobile Device Operating System 2006-2010 Forecast and
Analysis, Doc #204849, December 2006
Microsoft, Windows Mobile, SharePoint, Windows Live, Outlook, Excel,
PowerPoint and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks
of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
Related Posts:
