At the Cellular World Congress demonstrate, what Microsoft didn;t roll out is as fascinating as what it did.
During a February sixteen press conference at the exhibit (thank you to LiveSide for the Webcast website link), CEO Steve Ballmer and Senior Vice President of Mobile Communications Andy Lees told attendees that the firm is generating some tweaks to its cellular technique: It truly is no lengthier focusing mainly on enterprise consumers, but each business and consumer users; and is no lengthier contemplating cellular products in a vacuum (as an alternative it;s now about phones and software program and solutions).
Microsoft is rebranding Windows Mobile phones as “Windows phones” — but seemingly is continuing to call the phone operating system “Windows Cellular.” (Yes, Microsoft;s branding technique still leaves a lot to be desired.)
Here;s the list of what Microsoft did introduce (alongside of a handful of partnerships for Windows Mobile) in the Barcelona cellular confab on February 16:
Windows Mobile 6.5: The next version of Microsoft;s phone operating system, which will appear on new phones starting while in the second half of 2009. The Windows Cellular 6.5 release will feature a new, touch-enabled user interface; new home screen; customizable widgets; and Internet Explorer 6.1, the latest version of Microsoft;s mobile browser. My ZDNet blogging colleague Matthew Miller is disappointed while in the 6.5 release (he has a few screen shots over on his site).
Microsoft My Phone: A new mobile service, formerly codenamed Skybox, that can “sync text messages, photos, video,
Office 2007 Enterprise Key, contacts and more to the Web.” A limited,
Office 2010 Product Key, invitation-only beta is now open. (Microsoft didn;t talk about the roadmap for My Phone, but I hear Version 1.0 launches this fall and Version 2.0 in 2010)
Windows Marketplace for Cellular: As Microsoft describes it, “a rich and integrated marketplace for searching, browsing and purchasing cellular applications from Windows(R) phones or from a PC by simply using a Windows Live ID.” The Marketplace goes live this fall, starting on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones.
Recite: A new voice-enabled application for Windows Mobile phones that allows customers to record short notes and recall them using voice search. Recite is now available in technical-preview test form.
Here;s what Microsoft officials didn;t discuss at the show, which some have been expecting them to:
Skyline: Another new Windows Cellular service (which may or may not ultimately by rebranded as Outlook Live). Skyline is a service that will allow customers to have pushed to them both work and personal mail, contacts and calendar items.
Zune Cellular: The set of Zune music and video purchasing/sharing/playback providers that Microsoft is readying for mobile units. Given Microsoft;s public silence on this, I;d guess we won;t see this now until 2010, around the time Windows Mobile 7.0 launches.
Other Pink/Rouge providers: Pink is thought to be the set of consumer-focused solutions (beyond Zune Mobile) that Microsoft will make available to phone makers; Rouge is the set of business/unified-communications solutions the enterprise is believed to be developing. Microsoft still won;t even acknowledge publicly these codenames, let alone what is part of every single forthcoming family of solutions.
Windows Cellular 7.0: The next version of Windows Mobile,
Discount Office 2007, which I;ve heard will be available on new phones by April 2010.
A Microsoft-branded phone: While lots of provider watchers believe Microsoft is readying its own branded phone,
Office Home And Student, I hear that — at least for your 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 your near term,
Office 2010 Professional, 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 sixteen with LG), however.