SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 25, 2004 — Today at CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2004, Microsoft Corp. showcased the broad range of Windows Mobile (TM) -based devices available from the top U.S. mobile operators, AT & T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Sprint PCS , Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA Inc. Adding to the variety of Windows Mobile-based phones available, the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6601 was unveiled today and will be available later this year. Mobile operators are adding multiple Windows Mobile-based phones to their product portfolios because the devices significantly increase the potential for average revenue per user (ARPU) and customer loyalty.
“Our goal with Windows Mobile is to provide our industry partners with a powerful and flexible software platform that enables hardware innovation and provides our mutual customers — mobile professionals — with a truly revolutionary mobile experience,” said Scott Horn, senior director of the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft. “We’re excited to see the success of our industry partners that are delivering a compelling and diverse lineup of Windows Mobile-based phones through more than 60 operators in 28 countries.”
“Sprint is committed to providing the tools business professionals need to stay connected to critical information and contacts while away from the office,” said Harry Campbell, president of Emerging and Mid Markets, Sprint Business Solutions. “With Windows Mobile-based devices like the PPC-6601 and SP-i600, Sprint is able to greatly expand our portfolio of services to meet the specialized needs of the mobile workforce.”
Practical Innovation
Mobile professionals continue to demand increasingly powerful mobile devices to improve their productivity wherever their busy life takes them. As a result, Microsoft continues to work closely with its hardware partners to expand its Windows Mobile-based product portfolios with various devices — from those that include native Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® support to those with integrated QWERTY keyboards and cameras — to provide customers with more options for mobile computing.
For example, based on the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software, the Sprint PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6601 phone demonstrates the continued depth of innovation that is possible. The device has unique functionality such as support for portrait and landscape displays for viewing Web pages, an integrated QWERTY keyboard for easy data input, and multiple options for connectivity including 1xRTT, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Smarter Productivity
In conjunction with increased hardware innovation, Windows Mobile provides customers with a consistent and dynamic mobile experience, from increasing business productivity with access to Outlook® outlook via synchronization with their desktop computer to accessing rich digital media between PCs and devices through Windows Media® Player 10 Mobile. Windows Mobile-based devices also can run line-of-business and other applications, making them powerful and flexible enterprise tools for mobile e-mail and much more.
“The race to unwire the world is changing the way people work and play,” said Michael Tatelman, vice president, MOTOPro Group, Motorola. “For today’s busy mobile professional, the office is where they are: at work, at home, in the car, and out in the world. This former road warrior jumps between work and play with seamless precision, staying connected at all costs. Together, Motorola and Microsoft are driving convergence into powerful, cutting-edge mobile devices combined with a leading software platform to deliver a new standard in mobile office connectivity. We will continue to create seamless mobility solutions based on the Windows Mobile platform that simplify complexity and empower business professionals to be more productive wherever they may be.”
Enterprises understand that to increase productivity, they need a flexible and powerful mobility solution that easily ties into their existing infrastructure. IKON Office Solutions Inc. deployed over 600 Windows Mobile-based devices to engineers in the field, which allowed them to complete their work 75 percent faster. KONE Corp., a leading company in the elevator and escalator business, is planning to deploy Windows Mobile-based devices to 11,000 employees in 17 countries over the next two years, which will enable them to enhance their level of service and decrease the time taken to complete jobs.
Familiar Development Platform
Windows Mobile continues to attract leading independent software vendors (ISVs) and developers that capitalize on the familiar tools and consistent development environment in the Windows Mobile platform to create unique applications and services that add value to device users. There are now more than 840 certified Windows Mobile-based applications. This year alone there has been a 31 percent increase in new applications and a 35 percent growth rate of developers writing specialized solutions for enterprises, vertical industries and consumers. Through the integration of Visual Studio® and the Microsoft® .NET Compact Framework into Windows Mobile, Microsoft is enabling 2.5million professional desktop developers to easily develop mobile applications and take advantage of a new, huge opportunity.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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