IP: Microsoft to unveil wireless strategies

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>

[Note:  This item comes from reader Mike Cheponis.  DLH]

Microsoft to unveil wireless strategies
By Richard Shim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
February 18, 2002, 9:00 PM PT
<http://news.com.com/2100-1040-839828.html >

Microsoft on Tuesday is expected to announce several new efforts to
bring wireless capabilities to devices using its operating systems.

Among them is its Phone Edition application, which will help handheld
owners to access data and make voice calls. The software runs on the
Pocket PC 2002 operating system and will be used with HP's Jornada
928 Wireless Digital Assistant, which the PC maker is also expected
to announce Tuesday.

Microsoft is also expected to reveal plans to work with Intel as well
as Texas Instruments to develop reference designs for phones that
will run its Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 operating system. The
goal of the reference designs is to help wireless phone manufacturers
get products to market faster.

"With these reference designs, the entire product is a ready-made
solution for manufacturers," Microsoft product manager Ed Suwanjindar
said. "They are essentially recipes to get products to market later
this year."

Microsoft's efforts reflect an increasing trend in the handheld
industry to incorporate wireless capabilities with devices. Palm has
added wireless e-mail access to its latest device, the i705, and
Handspring has improved its integration of voice capabilities in its
recently launched Treo communicator.

Devices using Microsoft's operating systems will be able to handle
both voice and data access. For devices that are connected to
back-end corporate software, wireless synchronization to Outlook for
e-mail with attachments, appointments and contacts will be a key
feature. However, that capability is not always on, so consumers will
have to set synchronization times.

Always-on access can draw significant amounts of power as well as
minutes from wireless service subscription plans, Suwanjindar said.

New devices using the new reference designs are already in the works,
Suwanjindar said. Compal is shopping a Smartphone product using TI's
OMAP platform to carriers.

The Phone Edition software allows the applications on a device using
the Pocket PC 2002 OS to work together more efficiently. For example,
Phone Edition allows people to dial someone directly from their
contact list or add an appointment to their calendar on their desktop
and allow it to show up on their handheld.




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