Latest software to feature new messaging tools,
tighter security and improved productivity features; devices to begin shipping
worldwide by second quarter of 2007.
Microsoft Corp. today unveiled Windows Mobile® 6, the
newest version of its mobile software platform. By improving usability and
adding support for Microsoft® 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.
“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® 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™ 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®, Office
Word, Office Excel® and Office PowerPoint® 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, Telefónica, 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™ 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™ 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.*