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Question: With platforms like the Google phone and iPhone coming out, it’s really tough to continue to stand behind Windows Mobile when our employees are bringing these consumer devices into our environments,” the questioner explained. “And in your presentation you put Windows Mobile right in the center there, but it was a phone that doesn’t work in America and an operating system that you haven’t released. I’m wondering what your commitment is to continuing to get newer versions of the operating system in our hands so that we don’t have to fight this battle on the ground.”
Ballmer: “We have a significant release coming this year,” he said. “Not the full release we wanted to have this year but we have a significant release coming this year with Windows Mobile 6.5….We still don’t get some of the things that people want on the highest-end phones. Those will come on Windows Mobile 7 next year. Certainly I’m not, um–there’s opportunities for us to accelerate our execution in this area, and we’ve done a lot of work to really make sure we have a team that’s going to be able to accelerate. With that said, we did sell more Windows Mobile devices last year than Apple did iPhones–just an important factoid to have. Blackberry was a little bit ahead, and Google was nowhere to be seen, except in Silicon Valley, I’m sure. But we’ll do our best to help you with that challenge.”
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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.
More must read mobile news from the past 7 days:
Microsoft’s Attempt At The iPhone OS Debuts At MWC
Two Things To Get Excited About For The Palm Pre
Debunked: Apple Is Not To Blame For The G1 Missing Multi-Touch
Update: Why Apple Will Not Pursue A Palm Lawsuit
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