US Census Bureau to use 500,000 Windows Mobile Devices

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=awuAyVBgWo_c&refer=us' target='_blank'>http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=awuAyVBgWo_c&refer=us</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft Corp. won its biggest-ever contract for mobile-phone software, an order from the U.S. Census Bureau that covers 500,000 handsets. Microsoft, the world's biggest software maker, plans to unveil the deal as early as today, general manager Scott Horn said in an interview. Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft expects to increase its mobile unit's sales to $1 billion in one to three years, from $337 million last year, and break the dominance of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry. ``Up until now, BlackBerry had the market for themselves,'' Pieter Knook, a Microsoft senior vice president, said in an interview. ``That landscape has changed.'' Sales of handsets with Windows will double to 20 million units in 2007 as corporate customers opt for those devices instead of the BlackBerry, Knook said. They still would be just a fraction of Microsoft's almost $40 billion in annual sales. The company declined to disclose the value of the Census Bureau contract for Windows Mobile devices, which census takers will use to collect information door-to-door during the 2010 U.S. census."</i><br /><br />All indications are that they will be using a Wizard for this, but I haven't seen anything official - other than the device is being made by HTC. Regardless of what device it is and what version of Windows Mobile it will be running, this is a HUGE win for Microsoft and the Windows Mobile platform. Way to go! :way to go:

[randalllewis]

The highlights of this article are: the announcement that Microsoft is planning to ADVERTISE Windows Mobile! Only 25 million, but it is more than we've ever seen before; and the sales figures for Palm Treo for last quarter. They aren't broken down by model, but Palm sold nearly as many Treos as RIM did Blackberry's. That has got to be a result of WM in the Treo 700.

Developing buzz is part of growing WM and these announcements plus the Census Bureau decision are part of growing that buzz.

[dstrauss]

Mike:

Where did you see it was an HTC device?

[cmorris]

Where did you see it was an HTC device?

From: http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060404_028882.htm

Why did the Census Bureau go with HTC versus, say, a Motorola Q?
Instead of going with one manufacturer and one device model, the Census Bureau can go to HTC and get a variety of devices, more suitable to the different needs of the people that they give these to.

HTC has quietly, behind the scenes, acquired a lot of credibility with operators and manufacturers around the world. All U.S. operators today are selling HTC devices. They've built the iPaq for years. They've built the Treos. They allow other companies to label their products. And they have pretty compelling price points as well.

[Mike Temporale]

Where did you see it was an HTC device?

Sorry about that. I read so many different stories on this, I forget where all the different facts came from. cmorris has found a source, Thanks!