News on Windows Mobile 6.0

Richard Haynes · 02-07-07, 08:26 PM

Bloomberg News ran the following story tonight:

BC-MICROSOFT-MOBILE-PHONE-SOFTWARE-UPDATE1

Microsoft Plans Update for Mobile Phones, Devices (Update1)

c.2007 Bloomberg News

(Adds details on features beginning in fifth paragraph.)

By Dina Bass

Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) … Microsoft Corp., the world's largest
software maker, plans to add features for finding e-mail and
managing address books to its operating system for mobile
phones and handheld computers.

The updated software, Windows Mobile 6, will be made
available Feb. 12 to makers of phones and other devices and
should be in models within the next few months, said Suzan
DelBene, vice president for the company's mobile-device
marketing. Microsoft will unveil the software at the 3GSM
World Congress conference in Barcelona, Spain.

The company wants to take more customers from Nokia Oyj and
Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry e-mail
device, by offering features that help workers use corporate
e-mail and business programs on mobile devices. Microsoft took
a bigger share of sales of handheld computers from Research In
Motion last year, according to market research firm Gartner
Inc.

Shares of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft fell 14 cents
to $29.37 as of 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market
trading. The shares have gained 9 percent in the past year.

The new software lets customers search for e-mail stored on
the company's Microsoft Exchange mail server, even if the
message is not on the phone itself.

The software includes improvements to mobile versions of
Microsoft's Office programs, such as its Outlook e-mail,
contacts and calendar product. When scheduling a meeting, for
instance, users can now see who else was invited and whether
they plan to attend.

Erasing Option

New security features allow a company to encrypt a phone's
storage card and erase everything on the device if the phone
is lost.

The software also offers a new Windows Live search engine
that combines Internet search with the ability to find and map
nearby locations, DelBene said.

Microsoft is taking on Google Inc., the most popular search
engine, which has about five times as much traffic as
Microsoft's search engine. Vodafone Group Plc, the world's
biggest mobile- phone company, includes Google's Internet
search on its handsets. Motorola Inc., the world's
second-biggest maker of mobile phones, also has Google's
search on some models.

…Editor: Wolfson (nht)

To contact the reporter on this story: Dina Bass in Seattle
at +1-206-521-5981 or dbass2bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Cesca
Antonelli at +1-212-617-2616 or fantonellibloomberg.net

-0- Feb/08/2007 01:05 GMT

02-08-07 0105GMT

matt_90048 · 02-07-07, 10:40 PM

why not update WM5 instead of releasing WM6?

02-08-07, 04:05 AM

In reality, that is exactly what it is matt.
Funny they called it a new OS.

Unless that crossbow was a codename for WM5.2, WM6 is just a small update for the corporate user in mind.

linuxcrazyman · 02-08-07, 02:55 PM

WM6 provides lots of new features

demitry · 02-08-07, 03:08 PM

Are they going to fix their never-working reminders?

Richard Haynes · 02-08-07, 04:36 PM

Here's Associated Press on the topic today:

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) … Microsoft Corp. plans a launch this
spring of its next-generation operating system for wireless
devices, Windows Mobile 6, which is important for the
company's efforts to grab market share beyond the desktop.

Microsoft is expected to disclose details of Windows Mobile
6 on Monday at a telecommunications conference in Barcelona,
Spain.

The company pledged that the new software would render
e-mails and other documents much as they appear on desktop
computers. The software also will have deeper connectivity to
Microsoft's "Live" suite of online services, including instant
messaging.

Those features are part of a broader effort by Microsoft to
use connectivity to its prevalent desktop software as a
strategy for catching up with the worldwide leader in mobile
operating systems, Symbian Ltd. Symbian says more than 100
million phones with its software have been sold; Microsoft
doesn't give comparable figures but points to a Gartner
prediction that 64 million Windows-enabled devices will have
been sold by 2009.

Microsoft shares lost 11 cents to close at $29.26 in
Thursday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

AP-ES-02-08-07 1616EST

02-08-07, 04:55 PM

Thanks for the read. :approve:

wizk1 · 02-08-07, 05:26 PM

Do you think Dell will do with the X51 and WM6 like what they did with the X50 and WM5? Except making it actually work this time?

Although I'm not particularly excited about it's launch (just like Vista), I still think it would be nice to have a brand spanking new OS on a device which is clearly capable.

linuxcrazyman · 02-09-07, 02:16 PM

I always think that a new release is something to get excited over. I always look forward to them because I think about all the wonderful new features and the capabilities. This is why I like beta testing. (Although I beta test for Microsoft, I did not get to beta test Windows Mobile 6)

02-09-07, 02:39 PM

I agree with linuxcrazyman. I think there is much more here than just a minor update. It looks like they have tried to integrate a lot of things that were left to third party software before.

jadesse · 02-09-07, 02:44 PM

Looks like almost a complete overhaul too me.

omacar · 02-09-07, 03:31 PM

But will the Axim 51V be able to get it? I love my Axim 30h but Have held off on the Axim51v. My 30h still rocks and works great and was a great investment but if the 51v get WM6 then I just might have to pony up some cash.

omacar · 02-09-07, 08:22 PM

Well I called Dell and was told that yes they would upgrade the 51V to WM6 and that they still make the axim 51v

02-10-07, 01:53 AM

Wow I wonder if the X51V & WM6 will play nice together?

experts · 02-10-07, 12:15 PM

cool news! cant wait for a wm6 update from dell!!!!!