HANOVER, Germany, Feb. 24, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. and Sony-Digital Telecommunication Europe today announced that Sony’s CMD-Z5 GSM mobile phone, presented this week at CeBIT 2000, will be powered by Microsoft® Mobile Explorer™ , Microsoft’s modular software platform for Internet-enabled mobile phones.
Sony is one of the first companies to demonstrate the Microsoft Mobile Explorer wireless communication platform, which includes a dual-mode (WAP and HTML), operating system-independent microbrowser to give users unparalleled access to both WAP and HTML Web sites via their mobile phone. Microsoft Mobile Explorer is an extensible and flexible platform that is a key component of Microsoft’s end-to-end wireless strategy to provide mobile Internet solutions that utilize technologies such as Microsoft Exchange Server, the BackOffice® Server and MSN TM Mobile Services.
“Microsoft Mobile Explorer provided the software solution ideally supporting the product concept of the CMD-Z5,”
said Steffen Kieschke, manager of Product Planning at Sony-Digital Telecommunication Europe.
“Microsoft, like Sony, has developed an innovative product of intelligent design that adds to people’s enjoyment. The ease of access to mobile WAP and HTML services, as well as to corporate e-mail systems and corporate intranets, provided by Mobile Explorer helps create a truly market-leading product for Sony.”
“Microsoft is focused on delivering powerful, flexible software like Microsoft Mobile Explorer to help ensure our customers have easy access to their information any time, anywhere and from any device,”
said Amy Mokady, business development manager of the Mobile Devices Division at Microsoft.
“But software is only half of the story — you need innovative, smart hardware to make the solution a reality. We’re excited to be working with Sony to provide this. The Sony CMD-Z5 handset with its Advanced Jog Dial provides a unique user experience to make the most of the mobile Internet.”
Sony’s new CMD-Z5 GSM phone is a highly functional, compact and lightweight phone that weighs only 82 grams and is smaller than a credit card. The innovative Advanced Jog Dial, combined with T9™ Text Input Technology, provides an intuitive and easy-to-use browsing experience. The phone provides an interesting solution for both corporations and consumers, with HTML support making it easy for corporations to offer their intranet information on mobile phones, and WAP support ensuring access to the rapidly increasing number of mobile services being developed across Europe.
Microsoft Mobile Explorer is a modular wireless applications and services platform that allows industry partners to pick the solution which best fits their needs using one or more of the following components: a dual-mode microbrowser, the Windows® CE operating system, applications and server-side components. Microsoft Mobile Explorer is designed to deliver wireless data services such as secure corporate data access, e-mail, the Internet, location-based services and electronic commerce. Microsoft Mobile Explorer will initially support two configurations:
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Microsoft Mobile Explorer for feature phones is an operating-system-independent, air-link agnostic, browser-based solution that enables secure corporate or personal access to e-mail, personal information manager data and the Internet when connected to a wireless network. It includes the first dual-mode microbrowser that can display both HTML- and WAP 1.1-authored Internet content.
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Microsoft Mobile Explorer for smart phones is designed to support more powerful wireless data computing on high-resolution display devices that are capable of running a full suite of online and offline e-mail, PIM and Internet applications. Microsoft Mobile Explorer for smart phones will utilize a version of the Windows CE operating system specifically optimized for mobile phones. This will enable services including over-the-air data synchronization, hosting of third-party applications and receipt of new multimedia content delivered by third-generation broadband wireless networks.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Mobile Explorer, BackOffice, MSN and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
Tegic T9 Text Input is a registered trademark of Tegic Communications Inc.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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