Microsoft to unleash wireless strategies
Published: 19 Feb 2002 11:18 GMT
Microsoft is expected to announce several new efforts to bring wireless capabilities to devices using its operating systems on Tuesday at the 3GSM World Congress.
Among them is its Phone Edition application, which will help handheld owners to access data and make voice calls. The software runs on the Pocket PC 2002 operating system and will be used with HP's Jornada 928 Wireless Digital Assistant, which the PC maker is also expected to announce on Tuesday.
Microsoft is also expected to reveal plans to work with Intel as well as Texas Instruments to develop reference designs for phones that will run its Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 operating system. The goal of the reference designs is to help wireless phone manufacturers get products to market faster.
"With these reference designs, the entire product is a ready-made solution for manufacturers," Microsoft product manager Ed Suwanjindar said. "They are essentially recipes to get products to market later this year."
Microsoft's efforts reflect an increasing trend in the handheld industry to incorporate wireless capabilities with devices. Palm has added wireless e-mail access to its latest device, the i705, and Handspring has improved its integration of voice capabilities in its recently launched Treo communicator.
Devices using Microsoft's operating systems will be able to handle both voice and data access. For devices that are connected to back-end corporate software, wireless synchronisation to Outlook for email with attachments, appointments and contacts will be a key feature. However, that capability is not always on, so consumers will have to set synchronisation times.
Always-on access can draw significant amounts of power as well as minutes from wireless service subscription plans, Suwanjindar said.
New devices using the new reference designs are already in the works, Suwanjindar said. Compal is shopping a Smartphone product using TI's OMAP platform to carriers.
The Phone Edition software allows the applications on a device using the Pocket PC 2002 OS to work together more efficiently. For example, Phone Edition allows people to dial someone directly from their contact list or add an appointment to their calendar on their desktop and allow it to show up on their handheld.
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