Windows Mobile 7 to Emphasize Social Networking?
By Jason Ankeny
A new Microsoft job posting discovered by MobileTechWorld suggests the software giant's forthcoming Windows Mobile 7 operating system will focus squarely on social networking integration. The posting to the microsoft-entertainment-jobs/com website reads in part "'Social Networks' and ‘Mobile Phones' are two rapidly evolving socio-cultural phenomena that deeply impact the way in which people interact with each other.
How would you like to be at the confluence of these phenomena--not as an observer but as someone who is defining the course? The Windows Mobile 7 Communications group is building experiences on the phone that present your content--friends, pictures, messages, events--to you in immersive and engaging ways. Our vision is to bring social networks to life. For example imagine seeing all the newsfeeds from all the networks you care about in a single hub on the phone. Or imagine the phone instantly telling you what your friend is doing and where he is when you get a call from him... Our aim is to build a ‘Mobile Social Platform' that provides rich APIs to both internal and external applications and to not only enable but also inspire them to build compelling social experiences."
The Microsoft posting, which seeks a senior program manager to oversee development of the social networking platform, adds there are "several" Windows Mobile 7 teams developing social experiences. "The vision of WM7 and especially the Communications team is ambitious. We are not building yet another cool phone; but one that is truly personal and relevant. Yes--the competition is stiff; but it's exceeded only by our desire to win." Microsoft is expected to launch WinMo 7 sometime in 2010. [FierceMobileContent]
Microsoft May Launch Two Smartphones Using WinMo 7.0
By Sue Marek
Rumors are circulating once again about Microsoft entering the smartphone market. Although the software giant has denied any intention of making a mobile device (the firm only licenses the software), reports indicate the company is developing two smartphones through its Danger subsidiary. Danger, the firm behind the T-Mobile USA Sidekick line of devices, was acquired by Microsoft last year.
Unlike previous rumors, these reports include some detailed descriptions of the proposed devices. Specifically, reports say that one device, codenamed Turtle, will have a square-ish shape and a sliding keyboard. The second device, codenamed Pure, will be rectangular and have a slider. Both devices will supposedly be manufactured by Sharp, which was an OEM for the Sidekick line. Speculation is high that the operating system for both will be Windows Mobile 7.0, and the phones will be introduced at CES but not released until later in 2010.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, said that Microsoft was working with Verizon on a device, code-named "Pink," that would have additional software capabilities and feature Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile. There have also been rumors about a possible Microsoft smartphone based on the software giant's Zune digital music player.[FierceWireless]
Can Windows Mobile 6.5 Reinvent The User Experience?
By Jason Ankeny
Microsoft is expected to formally unveil its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system during next month's Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, and already there are more leaks than a secondhand diaper. While the rumors and speculation run the gamut from convincingly credible to wildly unlikely, some cold, hard facts surfaced over the weekend when device manufacturer CompuLab posted screenshots of the OS on its website in conjunction with its new exeda smartphone.
"To demonstrate just how friendly to developers exeda is, CompuLab software team brought-up Windows Mobile 6.5 Alpha on exeda the same day it was released," the website reads, while the accompanying images depict a honeycomb-like application launcher user interface enabling one-touch access to apps including Internet Explorer, Messaging, Calendar and Tasks. The homescreen also boasts a large "X" button in the upper right corner, presumably simplifying application shutdown.
Mobile World Congress should signify a watershed moment for Microsoft's mobile aspirations--CEO Steve Ballmer is keynoting the event, and in addition to WinMo 6.5, the software giant is expected to launch its long-awaited SkyMarket application storefront as well as SkyBox (a new solution that synchronizes mobile device information with the web) and SkyLine (a business version of business version of SkyBox that features hosting support with the Microsoft Exchange configuration).
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Microsoft's mobile communications division senior vice president Andrew Lees said that while Windows Mobile previously appealed to enterprise users, the firm is now more aggressively targeting the consumer demographic dominated by rival Apple's iPhone: "Everyone who is a business person is also a human being," he said. "We want also to do human things like photos, music, communications, IM, texting and social networking."
More specifically, it appears Microsoft will endeavor to simplify the mobile user experience. Lees cites the familiar example of consumers who are unable to figure out how to upload photos from their phones to the web: "What should happen is when you take a picture it should ‘automagically' arrive on your PC and be in the cloud," he said.
"I should be able to fix the red eye on the PC and have it ‘automagically' go back and fix the red eye everywhere else." Lees added that your handset should also know your friends via social networking connections and automatically--excuse me, "automagically"--send them the photo and collect their comments about it. Open source operating systems like Android and Symbian can't offer that kind of integration, Lees argued: "[Handset makers] are going to look around at what their options are and say ‘Is open source going to do all the things I need to do to compete with Windows Mobile?
Is it going to create the social experience, the e-mail experience and all the other experiences people want?'" But Lees doesn't pose the bigger rhetorical question, so I will: Is Windows Mobile 6.5 going to do all the things it needs to do to compete with Mac OS X and BlackBerry? [FierceDeveloper]
Microsoft Updates Live Search Mobile
By Jason Ankeny
Microsoft announced an update to its Live Search Mobile application for Windows Mobile-based devices, promising a series of new features that make it easier for users to find local businesses and receive maps and directions via mobile device. The Live Search Mobile upgrade includes:
LocateMe: A location-based feature that offers users their approximate location, even without a GPS-enabled device. Users may instantly search the area around their current location as well as view a map of the immediate area.
Query Autosuggest: During search query entry, the Live Search client will suggest completed queries from partial input.
Bird's Eye View Imagery: Aerial imagery of select urban areas from a natural angle.
Mixed Query: Business names entered as a location in the search field will still yield a search result, regardless of the user's default location.
The Live Search Mobile revamp follows a week after Microsoft announced a significant new mobile search partnership with Verizon Wireless. Per terms of the five-year agreement, Microsoft will provide portal, local and Internet search as well as mobile advertising services on Verizon devices--the partnership goes into effect during the first half of 2009, when Microsoft Live Search will launch as the default search service on new Verizon Wireless feature phones and smartphones. [FierceMobileContent]
Microsoft Unveils First iPhone Applications
By Jason Ankeny
Microsoft announced the launch of Seadragon Mobile, an application optimized for archrival Apple's iPhone. Developed by the Microsoft Live Labs unit, Seadragon Mobile is a free demonstration app enabling users to zoom in and out of web photos regardless of bandwidth constraints or image size, storing pictures in multiple resolutions and only delivering the elements the user wishes to see at a particular moment in time. The Seadragon technology is a component of Microsoft's Photosynth browsing program--it previously surfaced in apps like TouchWall, and it's also present in the Silverlight platform. Microsoft acquired developer Seadragon Software in early 2006.
So why would Microsoft launch an iPhone app? Microsoft Live Labs group product manager Alex Daley tells TechFlash his team wants to make sure the Seadragon technology spans across multiple devices and platforms. "The iPhone is the most widely distributed phone with a [graphics processing unit]," he said. "Most phones out today don't have accelerated graphics in them. The iPhone does, and so it enabled us to do something that has been previously difficult to do. I couldn't just pick up a BlackBerry or a Nokia off the shelf and build Seadragon for it without GPU support." [FierceMobileContent]
Rumor Mill: Is Microsoft Making a Zune Smartphone?
By Phil Goldstein
Rumors are circulating of a possible Microsoft smartphone based on the software giant's Zune digital music player. Code-named "Pink," the phone will use technology from Microsoft's acquisition of Danger, the company that brought the Sidekick to T-Mobile.The phone may be set to debut as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show or at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, according to a report on CNBC.com.
Rumors have swirled for more than a year around whether Microsoft would be readying a Zune-branded phone. Microsoft, as late as June of this year, denied any kind of development of such a phone.The most obvious competition for the phone would be from Microsoft nemesis Apple and the iPhone 3G. While Microsoft's position in the mobile space has been limited to the widespread use of its Windows Mobile platform, a foray into handset manufacturing would put it squarely into competition with Apple and other phones that double as digital music players. [FierceWireless]
Talking With Microsoft About its Mobile Future
By Jason Ankeny
With 2009 looming on the horizon, the biggest question mark in mobile software is Microsoft. With competitive pressures mounting and rivals like Apple, Google and Nokia generating the lion's share of attention and buzz, it seems everyone has an opinion on what Microsoft is or isn't doing, what it should do instead and why. The biggest questions facing Microsoft in the year ahead: Where is Windows Mobile 7? When will the company introduce a virtual storefront to market and distribute WinMo apps? And how can it more effectively leverage its scale and experience to reassert its position in the mobile marketplace?
On Monday FierceDeveloper spoke with Jay Roxe, group product manager for Windows Mobile, who played his cards frustratingly close to the vest. "We're not announcing any roadmaps or future products," Roxe said in response to my question about the status of WinMo 7. "We have a lot of engineers working to innovate in the Windows Mobile space. We continue to innovate on the platform and the tools themselves, but we're not making any announcements at this time." Likewise, Roxe was mum on the rumored mobile applications store, reiterating that Windows Mobile apps remain available to consumers via retail partners including Handango and Motricity, as well as some wireless operators.
So what could Roxe talk about? Last week, Microsoft announced the availability of emulators and documentation for its new Internet Explorer Mobile 6 browser, promising a mobile web experience that more closely resembles conventional desktop browsing. Highlights of IE Mobile 6 include enhanced Script and AJAX support via JavaScript v5.7 engine, an improved multimedia experience thanks to the addition of Adobe Flash Lite 3.1, deeper integration with search tools, touch and gesture support, and multiple zoom levels.
"We're giving the customer access to a very rich browsing experience on the phone," Roxe said. "Even in cases where there is no mobile optimized site, people can still surf the vast majority of the Internet and get a rich experience because we licensed Flash Lite." Microsoft has released the Internet Explorer Mobile 6 Emulator for developer download; Roxe said the browser will appear on Windows Mobile devices before the end of the year.
Roxe also stressed the opportunities that Windows Mobile presents for Microsoft's developer partners who've previously focused their efforts on other platforms. "A lot of developers are Visual Studio users, and we're looking to be able to take their Windows and web skill sets to help them develop for mobile devices," he said. "We're in uncertain economic times, and the idea of leveraging your existing staff and resources is coming across very well."
Towards that end, Microsoft recently revamped its Windows Mobile Developer Network resource portal. "It's important for developers to have a single point of contact for all the announcements we make, like new technologies and mobile technologies launched by different divisions of the company," Roxe said. "All of Microsoft's major product teams are looking at what the mobile space holds--you can expect to see a number of announcements in that area." The Windows Mobile Developer Network portal will also connect visitors to best practices documents, developer conference information and related resources.
For everything about Microsoft's mobile outlook that remains hazy, Roxe made it clear that the company's relationship with the development community is central to its plans. "It's important to remember that given our market share and our experience with the programming environment, there are a lot of developers with skills applicable to Windows Mobile, and we're looking at what we can do to nurture those relationships," Roxe said. "We will continue to do innovation in this space--we've become very engaged in the mobile space. In the year ahead we're going to see tremendous growth from Windows Mobile." [FierceDeveloper]
Microsoft, LG to Collaborate on Converged Devices
By Phil Goldstein
Microsoft and LG announced a memorandum of understanding that ties the two companies further together on mobile devices.The agreement calls for greater collaboration on research and development, marketing, applications and services in the converged mobile devices space.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that in the face of increasing competition in the mobile devices space, it made sense for both companies to pursue an aggressive, forward-looking strategy.
"At the end of the day, the only way to really move forward is to continue to push new technology, new products and new innovations that have the opportunity to help all of our customers, improve businesses, their lives and reduce cost," he said.Microsoft also plans to invest $60 million in South Korea over the next three years, in different economic areas, including training and business development. [FierceWireless]
Microsoft: No Silverlight for iPhone, Maybe for G1
By Phil Goldstein
Microsoft said it was probably not going to be putting its Flash competitor Silverlight on Apple's iPhone 3G, but said it was keeping a watchful eye on Google's Android platform, and said Silverlight might get onto T-Mobile's G1.The website Tech Radar quotes Scott Guthrie, vice president of Microsoft's .NET developer division, as saying that Microsoft has talked about putting Silverlight onto the iPhone, but so far Apple has balked, as it has with Adobe's Flash player.
He did say, however, that the G1 remains a distinct possibility as a possible outlet for Silverlight going forward. "It's more of an open platform, that is something we're going to continue to look at," he said. "Certainly as it's gotten deployed and if sales are good we'll definitely keep our eyes out and look at that in the future."
Earlier this spring Microsoft inked a deal with Nokia to run Silverlight on the Symbian OS. [FierceWireless]
Microsoft: Zune software coming to Windows Mobile
By Jason Ankeny
Despite Microsoft's repeated denials it plans to release a converged Windows Mobile/Zune multimedia-enabled phone, CEO Steve Ballmer revealed in an interview with CIO that the firm plans to adapt the Zune software platform for implementation in the Windows Mobile OS. "At the end of the day, one of the big trends is that all content is going digital," Ballmer said. "And if we don't have the software and services that are useful, helpful and valuable for the consumption of music and video, we are sort of not really a player.
Now, we built the Zune hardware with the Zune software--and what you'll see more and more over time is that the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc." Asked by CNET News to clarify Ballmer's remarks, a Microsoft spokesperson said "We've always said that software and services is a key focal point for Zune and it does make sense to extend the Zune experience to other devices. In terms of specific timing we have nothing to announce at the moment."
Strictly speaking, Ballmer's comments do not contradict earlier remarks by Microsoft entertainment and devices division president Robbie Bach, who in a summertime interview with The San Francisco Chronicle maintained the software giant is not working on a converged Zune/Windows Mobile device in spite of rumors to the contrary.
"We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves," Bach said at the time. "Our focus is on the belief that a phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones. We think that is going to continue, and we think Windows Mobile is in a great position to service all those different opportunities."
Additional rumors surfaced in August that Nokia is at work with the Zune team to integrate Zune Marketplace content and services into its handsets. [FierceMobileContent]
Nokia, Microsoft at Work on Zune Integration?
By Jason Ankeny
While Microsoft recently refuted speculation it is at work on a converged Zune/Windows Mobile device, a new rumor circulating across the blogosphere suggests Nokia is currently working with the Zune team on integrating Zune Marketplace content. Citing "a well placed source within Microsoft," ZuneScene reports the software goliath and handset giant are collaborating on content delivery, not a Zune-based device--of course, the wrinkle here is that Nokia does not presently support Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS.
The source adds the deal between the two firms is not exclusive, meaning Zune content and services may also surface across other device portfolios. If anything, it seems more credible to believe Microsoft is at work on a Zune integration effort with any handset maker other than Nokia, if only because the company has invested so much effort into its own Comes With Music service. [FierceDeveloper]
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