Blackberry Killer - Microsoft Mobile Email Solution still in the Works

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/06/AR2005060600500.html' target='_blank'>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/06/AR2005060600500.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft will give away software upgrades to give Outlook users access to wireless corporate email on mobile devices, in a move that could unseat mobile email leader Blackberry from Research In Motion. The Redmond, Washington-based software giant will make free upgrades available for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Windows Mobile 5.0 that will lift business email and other Outlook data from corporate computers, and automatically send it to mobile phones running on Microsoft Windows software."</i><br /><br />I don't think they mean an OS version upgrade to Windows Mobile 5.0. I'm certain that they mean that an update or patch will be released to enable Windows Mobile 5.0 phones to take advantage of the this. There was a lot of talk about Microsoft working on a Blackberry Killer prior to the MEDC conference, but there was no announcement made during the conference leaving many to think it was just a rumor. It doesn't look like we'll see this update released until the fall and it doesn't look like a rumor now. :)

[Jerry Raia]

Death to Blackberry. Yes! :way to go:

[Bacco]

Death to Blackberry. Yes! :way to go:

I don't know Jerry...that looks like a Blueberry 'thumbs up" to me :wink:

[Jerry Raia]

Hmmmmm, Jason, we need more Emoticons on this site!!

[Philip Colmer]

I saw this demoed today during the Tech-Ed keynote speech. There will be two parts - Service Pack 2 for Exchange 2003, and the Email and Security add-on pack for Windows Mobile 5. No dates were given.

The demo looked quite good. Under the Exchange System Manager, you get additional options to manage the security policy for devices. This allows you to enforce things like password size, complexity, how many goes you get to enter it before the device wipes, etc. There is also an over-the-wire kill just like Blackberry.

I didn't get to see enough to answer some of my queries but it isn't bad for a first go - MS seem to have hit the major feature requirements. One area where I think BB do better is in passwords. On a Blackberry, if you get the password wrong 5 times, it asks you to enter "Blackberry", thus allowing the device to be sure the keyboard is working. If you continue to get it wrong, the device stops hiding the password so that you can see what you are actually entering.

Combine this with some of the new devices coming out like the Universal and I think that you've really got a real alternative to RIM. There is, apart from anything else, a much richer choice of devices than you've got from RIM.

--Philip

[cmorris]

The keynote is also available via webcast at:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=3232961

The Windows Mobile demo starts around 37:40

[Philip Colmer]

Had a chance to talk to a couple of MS reps in more detail about this. SP2 for Exchange will be out second half of this year. I don't think they can get any more precise than that because there is speculation that they are treading on someone's patent.

As to the feature pack, this will be made available through device manufacturers and not Microsoft. Personally, I think that is a bad idea - it holds you hostage to the whims of the manufacturer and we all know what they are like :evil:.

They had an HTC Universal there. It isn't a big device at all - quite light and easy to handle. The keyboard, I suspect, will take a bit of getting used to, but the mechanics of the display looked fine.

--Philip

[Kris Kumar]

...it holds you hostage to the whims of the manufacturer and we all know what they are like :evil:

and the carriers. :-( :evil: