Smartphone Makes Waves at Pocket PC Summit

[Jason Dunn]

Looks like the Pocket PC Summit will be about more than just Pocket PCs - I'm looking forward to seeing a hardware-final Sendo phone.<br /><br />"Over the past year, the market opportunities for Microsoft¹s Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 software, aka Stinger, have been analyzed from every angle. Will Smartphones replace cell phones and PDAs? Is North America¹s wireless infrastructure ready for the potential impact? What does an integrated device buy users that they don¹t already have? As major vendors line up to declare their support for the new Smartphone 2002 platform, two developers will be among the first to show actual working products this month. Sendo, the UK-based cellular phone manufacturer, and SYWARE, leading developer of database and forms-building software, will show first editions of their Smartphone products at the Pocket PC Summit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 28-31, 2002." &lt;!><br /><br /><b>Z-100 Multimedia Smartphone</b><br /><br />"<a href="http://www.sendo.com">Sendo</a> will demonstrate the Z100 Multimedia Smartphone at the Pocket PC Summit. "At 99 grams (approximately three ounces) and 99 cc, the Sendo Z100 is one of the smallest and lightest GPRS tri-band smartphones," said Greg Christian, Sendo¹s US President. "The unit features an impressive TFT display with up to 65,000 colors and can play MP3 and Windows Media audio and video files. The availability of an integrated HTML/c-HTML/WAP browser and an advanced EMS/MMS messaging client give users access to e-mail, contacts, and meaningful Internet content on the go."<br /><br />Sendo will also demonstrate its first wave of third-party applications. In addition to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel viewers, titles under development include Versaly¹s ŒThe Untouchables Pin Ball,¹ various titles from Germany-based Mobile Scope, and Midway¹s smash hit arcade classic, ŒDefender.¹ The Z100 Smartphone is currently being tested in Europe and North America. First launch will be in Western Europe, with rollout in the US shortly thereafter. Asia will follow later this year.<br /><br /><b>FoneDB Database Software</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.syware.com">SYWARE</a> will introduce FoneDB�, the first database software for Smartphone devices, at the Pocket PC Summit. Based on Microsoft¹s Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 software, FoneDB allows mobile content developers and corporate users to quickly and easily create full-color, highly portable phone databases without programming.<br /><br />"Whether you¹re a content developer working on a 5-star restaurant guide or a corporation creating an in-house white pages, FoneDB provides quick and easy, feature-rich data publishing without requiring you to be a C/C++ developer," said Sy Danberg, CEO of SYWARE, Inc. FoneDB is currently in beta test. Final product will ship by Q3 2002."

[jpzr]

"At 99 grams (approximately three ounces) and 99 cc, the Sendo Z100 is one of the smallest and lightest GPRS tri-band smartphones,"


it well may be but the biggest selling points this summer and autumn will be: built-in camera and built-in bluetooth. in Sendo Z100 these are just poorly integrated add-on modules, in competition these things are extremely well integrated part of smartphones..

[rubberdemon]

Still, the big question is - what are they going to get in terms of Carrier support? This is the make or break part of the equation for phone manufacturers, and I heard that MS has recently reduced their projections of smartphone sales due to trouble getting carriers to take them over Nokia/Ericsson/Motorola etc.

[Kre]

Well, pocket pc magazine just reported that SonyEricsson has agreed to make Microsofts Smartphone... that they chose Microsofts platform over Symbians Epoc for future phones. Theres so much going on in the wireless industry right now, its hard to make heads or tails out of it all. But I have no reason not to believe it.

Im really looking forward to these phones in the States. Its about time we get some cool phones over here instead of all the crud weve had to choose from. I agree that carrier issues will certainly need to be resolved. I wonder who will carry them first :?:

[PlayAgain?]

Well, the 7650 should be out in the UK in anout 18 days now, and I can't wait to have a go on one! The P800 is soon to follow.

I can't see SonyEricsson giving up on Symbian after putting so much into it. Their Magpie technology is now more than a pipe-dream with hardware and software makers backing the concept for its ease of use, revenue generation and sheer quality. I can't find anything that suggests Sony-Ericsson has made such a move, but I can imagine that they would want to give the Microsoft effort a go, one day.

As reputable as PocketPC magazine may be, this sounds like spin to me. Is the article on the internet? If so, could you provide a link?

Thanks.

[jpzr]

As reputable as PocketPC magazine may be, this sounds like spin to me. Is the article on the internet? If so, could you provide a link?


See:
http://www.wirelesssoftware.info/show1news.php/40.html
This is the original news item to which PocketPC magazine refers.

At above link it is explained that it was after all only a rumour
generated by certain renowned telco magazine: Sony Ericsson
is not going to take Microsoft's OS for Smartphones after all.

Ericsson as such (Andreas Sjöström can confirm it) will use
Microsoft's technologies ON SERVER SIDE, but not in smartphones.

But don't worry Microsoft freaks! Samsung, the third largest cell phone
producers in the world - is going to use MS Smartphone 2002 OS
in their smartphones...

For me remains big dissapointment the fact, that .NET Compact Framework IS NOT PREINSTALLED on Microsoft's smartphones....