developers

Didn’t get a chance to head to Barcelona this year for the Mobile World Conference? No problem. We’ll be giving you the happenings. Here is a recap of everything that went on with Microsoft, who laid out their entire plans for the next two years of competing in the mobile arena.

Windows Mobile 6.5: This is latest version of Microsoft’s mobile OS, which is their answer to Apple’s iPhone OS and Google Android. You will begin seeing it appear on new phones starting in the second half of 2009. WinMo 6.5 will have an entirely revamped user experience including touch-screen support, an entirely new homescreen, mobile browser (IE 6.1) and third-party marketplace to host those 17,000 WinMo apps spread around the web.

Microsoft MyPhone: A new standard to mobile web application that can “sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web.” This is a direct competitor to Apple MobileMe, which Apple charges $100 a year for. MyPhone will be free considering this will be Microsoft’s central hub for WinMo phones as iTunes is the hub for the iPhone (just more features). Apple should have rolled MobileMe into iTunes.

Windows Marketplace for Mobile: Microsoft describes it as “a rich and integrated marketplace for searching, browsing and purchasing mobile applications from Windows phones or from a PC by simply using a Windows Live ID.” The Marketplace goes live this fall, and will be competing for the attention of third-party mobile developers just as Palm, Apple, Google, Nokia, RIM and others are currently doing. The one big ball Microsoft has in their corner here, is that there are currently 17,000 mobile applications that have been created for WinMo phones. This will just be the first time developers will have a home on deck.

Recite: Microsoft’s attempt at re-inventing the voice recorder. Windows Mobile phones will allow users to record short notes and recall them using voice search.

Skyline: Another new Windows Mobile service and the successor to OutLook. Users can push both work and personal mail, contacts and calendar items to the phone sesamlessly.

Zune Mobile: Let’s face it the Zune isn’t going anywhere, but at the end of the day, it’s a decent music player. It belongs on the phone, making Microsoft phones a big step ahead of Google, Nokia, RIM and the rest of the gang who are using the Amazon music player or worse. It is rumored to have music and video purchasing/sharing/playback services. Keep an eye out for this next year.

Windows Mobile 7.0: The next version of Windows Mobile, which I’ve heard will be available on new phones by April 2010.

A Microsoft-branded phone: While many company watchers believe Microsoft is readying its own branded phone, I hear that — at least for the next couple of years — there won’t be a Microsoft-branded phone coming to market. Microsoft is working on a chasis reference design but, at least for the near term, Microsoft is leaving the smartphone manufacturing and branding to its phone partners. Do expect Microsoft to do more joint R&D and investment on Windows phones (like it announced on February 16 with LG), however.

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