PlayAgain?
07-27-2002, 08:26 PM
I gotta say that I don't see much likelyhood of truth here -> http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/1337/1/ but you guys may be able to shed light on it;
Strong signs emerged last week that Microsoft has done an about-face and will no longer rely on Windows CE for success in the Post-PC era. Instead, it seems to have found a new savior: broadband.
That became clear following three major announcements. Microsoft's announced an alliance with Ericsson to develop smart phone applications. It also announced the impending release of its Microsoft Mobile Explorer (MME) platform for smart phones and said General Instrument (GI), the huge set-top vendor, will use Microsoft's streaming media technology in high-end set-top boxes.
Not one of those announcements was about Windows CE. All three were about broadband Net devices and point to a serious competitive repositioning by Microsoft in the Net device space.
Take one thing as a given: within several years, virtually all Net devices will be broadband. That move has already started in earnest in the set-top area, where GI is a major player.
In the wireless world, Ericsson has staked its future on broadband. It and other major wireless broadband players, specifically Motorola and Nokia, never have taken Windows CE seriously, according to our sources. The alliance with Ericsson is an obvious attempt to become a major force in the emerging broadband smart phone game without relying on the woebegone Windows CE.
Another major bit of evidence that Microsoft is lessening its reliance on Windows CE is that MME is OS-agnostic. Remember, MME is an entire platform, only one part of which is a microbrowser. Even six months ago, the idea of Microsoft sharing technology with other operating systems would have been unthinkable. Now, it seems inevitable. [Editor's note: This opens up a huge opportunity for Linux to serve as the OS under the hood.]
Yet another bit of evidence that Microsoft is giving up on Windows CE is its recent announcement that it will no longer use the "Windows CE" name. Instead, devices that use the OS will be labeled, "Powered by Windows." You learn in Marketing 101 that you don't stop using a brand name unless the product has failed.
There's more to the article, so make of it what you will...
And before you accuse me of trolling to slag off PocketPC, it says plenty about Symbian's position being in grave doubt as well (not that I agree with it of course because it's leaving out a lot of detail - the kind of detail it could be leaving out regarding Microsoft and WindowsCE, which is why I posted this).
Strong signs emerged last week that Microsoft has done an about-face and will no longer rely on Windows CE for success in the Post-PC era. Instead, it seems to have found a new savior: broadband.
That became clear following three major announcements. Microsoft's announced an alliance with Ericsson to develop smart phone applications. It also announced the impending release of its Microsoft Mobile Explorer (MME) platform for smart phones and said General Instrument (GI), the huge set-top vendor, will use Microsoft's streaming media technology in high-end set-top boxes.
Not one of those announcements was about Windows CE. All three were about broadband Net devices and point to a serious competitive repositioning by Microsoft in the Net device space.
Take one thing as a given: within several years, virtually all Net devices will be broadband. That move has already started in earnest in the set-top area, where GI is a major player.
In the wireless world, Ericsson has staked its future on broadband. It and other major wireless broadband players, specifically Motorola and Nokia, never have taken Windows CE seriously, according to our sources. The alliance with Ericsson is an obvious attempt to become a major force in the emerging broadband smart phone game without relying on the woebegone Windows CE.
Another major bit of evidence that Microsoft is lessening its reliance on Windows CE is that MME is OS-agnostic. Remember, MME is an entire platform, only one part of which is a microbrowser. Even six months ago, the idea of Microsoft sharing technology with other operating systems would have been unthinkable. Now, it seems inevitable. [Editor's note: This opens up a huge opportunity for Linux to serve as the OS under the hood.]
Yet another bit of evidence that Microsoft is giving up on Windows CE is its recent announcement that it will no longer use the "Windows CE" name. Instead, devices that use the OS will be labeled, "Powered by Windows." You learn in Marketing 101 that you don't stop using a brand name unless the product has failed.
There's more to the article, so make of it what you will...
And before you accuse me of trolling to slag off PocketPC, it says plenty about Symbian's position being in grave doubt as well (not that I agree with it of course because it's leaving out a lot of detail - the kind of detail it could be leaving out regarding Microsoft and WindowsCE, which is why I posted this).