BARCELONA – A broad range of software released today by Microsoft Corp. to be used by its mobile operator and device-maker partners, is geared towards knocking the Blackberry off its dominant perch when it comes to wireless e-mail.
"Leveraging the integration between Direct Push technology in Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), businesses can mobilize their employees on a unified infrastructure without the requirement to pay for additional and costly e-mail servers," says the press release.
This same technology is now available for Microsoft Windows Small Business Server and is also offered as a hosted service by a number of mobile operators around the world.
Cingular Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone today announced free upgrades to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) for all their Windows Mobile 5.0 customers, enabling Direct Push functionality and providing enhanced device management and security for messaging applications.
Palm Inc. and i-Mate also reaffirmed their commitment to free MSFP upgrades. In addition, new Windows Mobile-based devices were unveiled today, all of which will ship with Direct Push technology: the HP iPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger, the Gigabyte Communications g-Smart (offered by Chunghwa Telecom Co. Ltd. in Taiwan), the ASUS P305 3G-enabled smartphone, and the Fujitsu Siemens FS Pocket Loox. In addition, HTC Corp. has unveiled a new product portfolio of Windows Mobile-based devices that are Direct Push-enabled and will be made available globally to T-Mobile and other operators beginning in the second quarter of this year, according to the press release.
"Successfully addressing the mobility demands of today’s business market requires a combination of powerful networks, breadth and choice of applications, and clear answers to business issues of usability, return on investment and systems integration," said Andre Stark, executive vice-president of international business marketing at T-Mobile, in a release.
