Kris Kumar
02-13-2006, 06:05 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-12GlobalPartnerSupportPR.mspx' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-12GlobalPartnerSupportPR.mspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Today at 3GSM World Congress 2006, Microsoft Corp. and its mobile operator and device-maker partners announced a broad range of services and Windows Mobile®-based devices for business customers to cost-effectively deploy mobile messaging solutions. Leveraging the integration between Direct Push technology in Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and Microsoft® Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), businesses can mobilize their employees on a unified infrastructure without the requirement to pay for additional and costly e-mail servers. This same technology is now available for Microsoft Windows® Small Business Server and is also offered as a hosted service by a number of mobile operators around the world."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/3GSM2006.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />I have summarized the key points mentioned in this press release:<br />• Palm Inc., i-Mate, Cingular Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone will provide free upgrades to the MSFP for all their Windows Mobile 5.0 customers, enabling Direct Push functionality and providing enhanced device management and security for messaging applications.<br />• The HP iPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger, the Gigabyte Communications g-Smart, the ASUS P305 3G-enabled Smartphone, and the Fujitsu Siemens FS Pocket Loox <i>will ship</i> with the MSFP. :-)<br />• HTC Corp. has <i>unveiled a new product portfolio</i> of Windows Mobile-based devices that are Direct Push-enabled and will be made available globally to T-Mobile and other operators beginning in the <i>second quarter</i> of this year.<br />• The Cingular 2125 Smartphone and 8100 series Pocket PCs will receive the MSFP update in the <i>first half</i> of this year.<br />• T-Mobile has announced upgrades to MSFP for Windows Mobile 5.0-based devices in its European network portfolio. Folks in the Netherlands should check this related <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-12TMobNedPR.mspx">press release.</a><br />• <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060213/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_mobile_e_mail">Associated Press</a> has published a nice write-up on why this partnership between Microsoft, and the carriers and the device manufacturers spells trouble for BlackBerry.