Microsoft unleashes the latest in Wireless Software

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday announced its plans to launch a new version of Windows Mobile operating system (OS), Windows Mobile 6, promising upgraded search, better security and tighter integration with Windows Live services.

The software giant is expected to uncover the details of its next-generation operating system for wireless devices, Windows Mobile 6, on coming Monday at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Windows Mobile 6, which was formerly codenamed Crossbow, looks more like Windows Vista, the new version of its personal computer operating system which has been launched by the Redmond giant last week.

The new mobile operating system adds more features which was previously available only on personal computers, providing a boost in company’s efforts to win market share beyond the desktop.

The new software pledges to deliver e-mails and other documents much in a form as they appear on desktop computers. It enables users to view emails in their original HTML Internet format with live Web links from advanced mobile phones, generally referred to as smartphones.

The software also will have deeper connectivity to Microsoft's "Live" suite of online services, including instant messaging, which enables users to see whether a contact is online and to get their Hotmail or Windows Live Mail messages pushed down automatically.

Besides the other added features, one most visible changes is the ability to type in a few letters of a song, contact or e-mail subject and have the phone automatically show only matching results.

These features are part of a broader effort by Microsoft to use connectivity to its prevalent desktop software as a strategy for catching up with Symbian Ltd., a software development and licensing company that produces Symbian OS, a smartphone operating system.

Symbian, the worldwide leader in mobile operating systems, says more than 100 million phones with its software have been sold, while Microsoft, which doesn't give comparable figures, however, points to a Gartner prediction that 64 million Windows-enabled devices will have been sold by 2009.

The first Windows Mobile 6 equipped devices are not expected until spring, however, with the bulk of products using the new operating system is expected to come in the second half of 2007.

Microsoft’s hardware partners that will have new devices supporting recently announced operating system this year include Toshiba, Lenovo Group, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics.

Microsoft has reclassified the devices as Windows Mobile 6 Classic (non-phone Pocket PCs), Standard (Windows Mobile non-touch-screen Smart-phones), and Professional (Pocket PC Phone Edition) devices.

Currently, there are 140 Windows Mobile phones available in the market, and more than 115 mobile operators support the platform worldwide.

Microsoft shares declined 11 cents to close at $ 29.26 in yesterday trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market.