Microsoft Moves on Mobiles

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.vnunet.com/Analysis/1142046' target='_blank'>http://www.vnunet.com/Analysis/1142046</a><br /><br /></div>"Microsoft will launch a new generation of its Pocket PC and Smartphone platforms this year, the company announced at the Mobility Developer Conference in Paris. It handed attendees software development kits for the new Pocket PC, codenamed Ozone, and referred to the new Smartphone as 'v.Next'. Microsoft arrived late to the world of mobile devices and, while it has carved out some PDA market share with Pocket PC, it faces a huge task in establishing the Windows-powered Smartphone. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the market for mobile phones is larger than that for PDAs, and the two dominant handset vendors, Nokia and Ericsson, appear set against using its software."<br /><br />This articles gives a nice overview of where Microsoft is in the connected mobile device race, and gives some hints as to future direction. I just want to know where I can get this 1.35 update that doulbes my SPV battery life! :D

[jkabaseball]

so ppc 2004 is coming out this year? any news on updates for current ppc's?

[popabawa]

I :ppclove: my SPV.

I was very dubious about it but couldn't resist a £30 upgrade. And when I found I could use Cadenza mNotes with at well I was delerious.

It can be a little disconcerting though to others in meetings when I'm checking my to-do's or calendar on my phone... I get some very strange looks, followed by an explanation that I'm not actually playing 'Snake' or texting my girlfriend :)

It's a great, functional device. If Agenda Fusion and Audible were released for SmartPhone my iPAQ would be in serious trouble!

[Peter Foot]

so ppc 2004 is coming out this year? any news on updates for current ppc's?

The Ozone release of Pocket PC which was discussed at MDC was Pocket PC 2003 which was released recently on the 23rd June.

Peter

[Scott R]

Not sure about the quality of this referenced article...

But the biggest new feature in both Ozone and v.Next is the .Net Compact Framework (CF) in ROM.

This is a runtime layer that isolates applications from the operating system, managing memory and enforcing security. It should prevent buggy apps from crashing the device.If the biggest new feature is putting the .NET CF in ROM, that's pretty sad, since the .NET CF is the equivalent of the VB runtime DLL. Further, their statement that putting this CF in ROM will prevent buggy apps from crashing the device seems just plain wrong. If the new PPC 2003 devices are, indeed, less crash-prone I'd imagine that it has more to do with improvements to the core OS than it does with the .NET CF. Personally, I see the value of putting this in ROM as a questionable move. From my desktop experience, MS occassionally put out service packs for their Visual Studio products, which typically included a new version of the VB runtime DLL. I see no reason to expect that VS.NET 2003 is perfect and bug-free. But now if they fix bugs, improve performance, or add a few little features, the device manufacturers have to create a whole new ROM updater for their devices, which they'll be hesitant to do as often as might be needed. So, we'll have to wait longer to get those needed fixes.

Here's another laughable quote:
Applications sell devices, which is why Microsoft is wooing developers.How are they wooing developers exactly? Requiring customers to spend over $1000 on a development package in order to develop for the PPC isn't wooing developers.

So for those in the know: Now that PPC 2003 is out of the gates, is there any chance that we'll see an inexpensive/free CF add-on for the standalone $99 .NET development packages?

Scott

PS - Yes, I'm annoyed that my day-job wouldn't spring for buying me the full VS.NET 2003 package. :(

[James Fee]

I would have to agree with everyone else. That is a weird article. The global phone market is dominated by Nokia, Motorola and Samsung. Globally Sony Ericsson is in 6th place in 2003 behind Siemens and LG.

Doesn't matter anyway. If Microsoft can sell their Smartphones to AT&T, Sprint, Alltel and other, the manufactuers of these phones will HAVE to support it.

[David McNamee]

the .NET CF is the equivalent of the VB runtime DLL

I feel that is an over-simplification of the .NET Framework, but point taken for the sake of discussion.

their statement that putting this CF in ROM will prevent buggy apps from crashing the device seems just plain wrong. If the new PPC 2003 devices are, indeed, less crash-prone I'd imagine that it has more to do with improvements to the core OS than it does with the .NET CF

You're right. It is a wrong statement and was probably written by someone who has never written a line of code. However, if an app is written against the .NET CF, then it will be running under the context of the CLR. A misbehaving app is much less likely to bring down the device if it is managed code as opposed to native.

Personally, I see the value of putting this in ROM as a questionable move

I disagree. Because the .NET CF will be in ROM, developers will not have to distribute it with their applications, and users won't need to dedicate precious RAM to storing it. This is a huge benefit. As a desktop developer, I'm sure you've encountered having to distribute VBRUN.DLL or MSVCRT*.dll with your apps. Sure increases the size of your distribution doesn't it? Translate that to the mobile space. If you have to deploy the .NET CF with your app, what will that look like to your customers who are installing your app over-the-air? Instead of pulling down a 100kb app, your customers now have to download a 1MB monster that's eating into their alloted per-month bandwidth. Having the CF in ROM will be a huge convenience for customers. They'll see you as providing small downloads that provide the features they want.

As a Toshiba e740 user, I completely understand your concern regarding updates being distributed in a timely manner. All we can do is hope that the manufacturers eventually learn their lesson and always put fixes out as quickly as feasible.

[Cardie]

Doesn't matter anyway. If Microsoft can sell their Smartphones to AT&T, Sprint, Alltel and other, the manufactuers of these phones will HAVE to support it.

Ehrm, I really don't follow this one. Because Microsoft and HTC sell a phone to AT&T (for example) why does it therefore follow that Nokia et al will switch to using the Smartphone OS away from their own (or the collaborative effort of Symbain OS?)

[Dom]

Doesn't matter anyway. If Microsoft can sell their Smartphones to AT&T, Sprint, Alltel and other, the manufactuers of these phones will HAVE to support it.

Sadly no chance. Nokia have over 40% of the phone market and unbelievable customer loyalty. Smart Phone has far, far less than 1%. I bought a P800 and asked phone users what they thought of it ( I live with 16 people - all professionals or students in age range 18 to 30). Their first question is usually "Is it a Nokia ?". Symbian series 60 is starting to appear on the Nokia phones (3650 and 7640 and more ) and Symbian UIQ 7 is amazingly good for a first release on the P800 (far more user friendly than my O2 XDA).
Targetting brand conscious consumers is a totally different kettle of fish to targetting tech savvy professionals ...
Dom

[James Fee]

I'm disagree, but it will take an effort on MS part.

If consumers can be turned into thinking smartphones are the way to go, then they will request them. Rather than MS wasting their time with MSN commercials, they need to push the smartphones. Someone will support MS on this and people will look for them. My father-in-law works at Motorola and while they have no plans for MS products, he did say they are always looking into what the consumer wants. What that means is that if there is a market for something, people will fill it. The question is how do you create demand? Comsumers and the Telco's. MS loves bundling their products with other services. If AT&T is given money (don't think with would work in Europe but who cares) to use Smartphones, then they will go out of their way to find a manufactuer that has them. If AT&T only offers the Seimens Smartphone and no others, then MS has won. Sure Nokia will still have their handsets, but RIM, Nokia, Motorola and others won't be able to get that market. I think this would be very easy in the US and current Administration wouldn't care too much if Nokia was knocked down a notch.

[Dom]

If AT&T is given money (don't think with would work in Europe but who cares) to use Smartphones, then they will go out of their way to find a manufactuer that has them
I doubt AT& T would risk their business by only offering a handset that nobody wants, no matter how much they are offered. I also feel that the consumer is not so daft as to be taken in by such a deal which would doubtless be "leaked" to the press.
I live in the UK so cannot speak for the US but the Smart Phone has barely registered here. Also, we have soooo many cool devices that are not available in North America yet and the Smart Phone looks lonely, miserable and seriously uncool when placed on sale next to them.
Dom

[James Fee]

Well, the US is very far behind europe on these smart devices. Right now AT&T only has the Seimens MS Smartphone on sale here in Phoenix, AZ. People in the US have yet to see why these devices are important. My wife still has an analog cell phone because she doesn't see the need for a new one. It would be very easy for MS to take the U.S. market because there is no smartdevice available yet that makes people want one. Handspring, RIM and others have yet to even impress people with their products.

What I would do, if I where MS is make the damn thing myself. That way they could see it at cost and make the market here in the US.

AT&T would make that deal in a second because they are hurting for money. Others would too because they can't seem to convince people in this country that browsing the internet on their phones is a good feature. Cameras, mobile web, SMS are not that popular here. I only use the web on my phone for one reason. Baseball scores. I could care less about SMS and I have yet to even meet one person who has a camera in their phone.

The US market is much defferent than the Europe market and that is why I feel MS can take it before Palm makes inroads.

[Dom]

Damn it MS should be going all out for the US market if it would have it to itself. What are they playing at ? If they can become mega successful in the US then that would help conquer Europe. Can't they just bribe the Sony R&D department to move over to MS and develop sexy hardware ? I've invested so much time in .NET development etc but I look in the phone shops round here and think I've bet on the wrong horse :) (Java games appear to be taking off big time over here - another discussion I guess).
Good luck Smart Phone ! Just hurry !
D :0)

[James Fee]

LOL...

I'm actually looking at getting a Smartphone in the next year, but I don't see any good ones here in the US yet. Palm and MS seem to dominate the market from what I've seen.

Who knows when or if Nokia will push their format, but at least at AT&T Mobile, they don't have them. :?