MS partners with operators, device-makers for messaging solutions

BARCELONA: At a conference hosted at the 3GSM World Congress 2006 here, Microsoft along with operators and device-makers announced a wide range of services and Windows Mobile-based devices for business users.

Microsoft plans to leverage the integration between Direct Push technology in Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and Micrsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2).

This, according to Microsoft, will allow businesses to mobilize their employees on a unified infrastructure without buying additional and costly e-mail servers. This technology will now be available for Microsoft Windows Small Business Server and will also be offered as a hosted service by a number of service providers.

In another significant announcement, Cingular Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone also announced free upgrades to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for all their Windows Mobile 5.0 customers, enabling Direct Push functionality and providing enhanced device management and security for messaging applications. Palm Inc. and i-Mate also showed their commitment to free MSFP upgrades.

Microsoft also unveiled new Windows Mobile-based devices, all of which will ship with Direct Push technology: the HP iPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger, the Gigabyte Communications g-Smart (offered by Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd. in Taiwan), the ASUS P305 3G-enabled smartphone, and the Fujitsu Siemens FS Pocket Loox.

Additionally, HTC Corp. also unveiled new products that are Direct Push-enabled and will be made available globally to T-Mobile and other operators beginning in the second quarter of this year.

“Successfully addressing the mobility demands of today's business market requires a combination of powerful networks, breadth and choice of applications, and clear answers to business issues of usability, return on investment and systems integration,” said Andre Stark, executive vice president of International Business Marketing at T-Mobile.

“The Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0 complements T-Mobile's successful suite of Microsoft-based solutions with a compelling messaging product that addresses these critical business needs while delivering mobile professionals much more than simple mobile e-mail. In alliance with Microsoft, we have an opportunity to strengthen our business customer portfolio and deliver another very powerful mobile business solution,” he added.

According to the release, the Direct Push technology added to Windows Mobile 5.0 will give customers faster access to all of their Microsoft Office Outlook information. Just like prior versions of Windows Mobile, it communicates directly with Microsoft Exchange Server and Windows Small Business Server without the need for additional and costly e-mail servers and middleware.

“Cingular has been a leader in delivering end-to-end solutions as a trusted partner to enterprises since the inception of wireless e-mail,” said Jeff Bradley, vice president of Business Data Services at Cingular Wireless. ”Microsoft's highly anticipated Direct Push e-mail experience delivered in the Messaging and Security Feature Pack is a key part of Cingular's strategy to continue to provide best-in-class wireless solutions to our customers. The new Cingular 2125 Smartphone and 8100 series Pocket PCs - the first of what will be an array of Windows Mobile 5.0-enabled devices available from Cingular in 2006 - will be upgradeable to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack in the first half of this year.”

According to the release, the mobile messaging solutions can be customized to a range of business infrastructure and size requirements, from on-premise Exchange Server deployments for organizations of all sizes, to operator-hosted solutions for smaller businesses that prefer to utilize a hosted solution based on the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration.

T-Mobile also announced upgrades to MSFP for Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices in its portfolio in conjunction with the availability of new professional e-mail packages for small and medium-sized businesses based on Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 3.5. This will be made available across T-Mobile's European network.

“Business customers are now realizing the potential mobility brings to their employees and customers. We are at the tipping point of seeing exponential growth in this area, with a number of factors coming together to make this happen, from less costly and more varied devices to wider adoption of mobile data among mobile professionals,” said Pieter Knook, senior vice president of the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division and Communications Sector Business at Microsoft.

“Microsoft has unique business and IT assets that we can bring to bear in the telecoms sector to open new revenue opportunities for operators while providing customers with smart and powerful solutions that leverage their existing computing investments.”

Vodafone also annoucned its tie up with Microsoft to launch Windows Mobile Email in Europe. The announcement was made at the 3GSM Conference in Barcelona. The solution is based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and incorporates the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP), which includes Direct Push technology and enhanced security features. From March, Vodafone will deploy a range of Windows Mobile 5.0-powered devices with Direct Push Technology to corporate and small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers in France, Germany and the U.K.

The service will also be available to corporate and SMB customers in other countries during 2006.

E-mails and tasks will be synchronized directly from Outlook, and Microsoft Office Excel Mobile and Word Mobile attachments can be viewed, edited and returned. Having a common e-mail experience across the PC and Vodafone Windows Mobile-powered device makes service adoption simple and accelerates delivery of the benefits that mobile e-mail brings to business customers.

"Mobile e-mail is a simple, secure and easy to set up service which enables customers to remain productive, responsive and organized when out of the office” said Peter Bamford, Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone. Commenting on the tie up Pieter Knook, senior vice president, Mobile and Embedded Devices Division and Communications Sector, Microsoft Corp said, “We are delighted to be working with Vodafone to deliver a mobile messaging solution for a diverse range of business customers.”

Further he added, “It's an exciting time for companies that are now realizing the true business potential of mobile solutions for both the business and for their employees. Our combined teams are focused on delivering the most compelling and innovative mobile solutions to meet these customer demands.”

Microsoft Corp. and Texas Instruments (TI) also announced that Amoi Electronics, HTC Corp. and Sagem Communication are developing new Windows Mobile-based Smartphones leveraging TI's OMAPV1030 EDGE chipset. These phones will be based on lower-cost, high-performance chipset architecture for Windows Mobile device-makers, previously only available for feature phones. Until now, many smartphones running on a high-level operating system such as Microsoft Windows Mobile necessitated a more expensive dual-core chipset to power the rich user interface, data networking and additional personal and business applications.