May 11, 2005

Windows Mobile: No More Pocket PC. No More Smart Phone.

When you shop for a new Windows Pocket PC or Smartphone don't expect to see the devices branded as such. Microsoft is moving away from those names and calling its mobile platform Windows Mobile (5.0) and adding a lot of additional features which will continue the competitive feature war in other mobile providers such as Palm, BlackBerry and Symbian. What great news for consumers.

Updates to Windows Mobile 5.0 include:

* Persistent memory storage. The most requested productivity feature from partners and customers alike, persistent memory storage retains information even when the device's battery is depleted.

* Microsoft Office software for Windows Mobile. Users will be able to view and create charts in Excel Mobile, and edit documents with graphics using Word Mobile while maintaining document formatting with files created on a PC. A new PowerPointÆ Mobile application has been included for Pocket PC, giving road warriors the ability to view and rehearse presentations.

* Security. Complementing a number of security features already included in the Windows Mobile platform, such as Bluetooth authorization and end-to-end encryption over a virtual private network, Windows Mobile 5.0 has gone through extensive threat-modeling testing and completed the rigorous Microsoft Trustworthy Computing full security review. The platform is also FIPS-140-2-certified, meaning it meets the stringent U.S. government security requirements for IT products.

* Additional support for hard drives and Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 will enable people to easily and quickly store large amounts of information -- such as entire digital picture and music libraries -- on a mobile device and synchronize this content with a PC.

0 comments