Microsoft all set to launch new smartphone server software

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After launching two mobile Web browsers, ZenZui and Deepfish, Microsoft is now ready with its new server software to give boost to Windows Mobile-enabled smartphones. The new product, dubbed "Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008", will enable large companies manage phones the same way they manage personal computers in the office.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer is due to announce the new server product at the Cellular Technology Industry Association (CTIA) convention in San Francisco on Tuesday.

With the launch of its new server software, Microsoft is apparently trying to get more companies to use Windows Mobile phones. For the purpose, the software giant is cementing a relationship with Enterprise Mobile Inc., a startup that specializes in introducing mobile phones inside businesses.

Microsoft has helped form the Watertown, Mass.-based mobile-phone consulting firm that helps companies deploy Windows Mobile phones, and provided $10 million in financing to Enterprise Mobile CEO Morton Rosenthal., acknowledged Scott Horn, general manager of Microsoft's mobile communications business.
Enterprise Mobile started working in conjunction with the Microsoft sales force in July, Horn said.

“We'll have our regular sales force that calls on all the companies around the country, and whenever they find a customer who is very interested in deploying (Windows Mobile devices), they'll funnel them through to Enterprise Mobile to help get it going," he said.

Mobile Device Manager will allow IT departments to manage smartphones in a way similar to how they handle networks of PCs, Horn said. It allows businesses to push out software updates to phones over the air and also provides a VPN (virtual private network) system for Windows Mobile devices to get secure access to sensitive corporate data.

The new software will be commercially available in the second quarter of 2008 on Windows Mobile-enabled devices from AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Motorola Inc., Palm Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., among others.

The pricing of the new product is not yet disclosed by the company. Users with smart phones running Windows Mobile will need to update their phones with the new software. Microsoft said the new product won't replace Microsoft Exchange in serving e-mail to devices rather it will concentrate attention on aspects like device management and security settings.

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, similar to the desktop Windows, is a compact operating system designed for mobile devices. Based on the Microsoft Win32 API, Windows Mobile operating system is used by a variety of mobile device makers. Windows Mobile enabled devices include Smartphones, Pocket PCs, and portable media centers.

The latest version of Windows mobile platform, Windows Mobile 6, was released on February 12, 2007. The earlier version, Windows Mobile 5 has been in the market for about 2 years.

Motorola’s “Q” phone, Palm, Inc.’s Windows “Treo”, and Samsung’s “Dash”, are a few of the major devices equipped with Windows Mobile. Microsoft faces competition in the market from market leader Symbian, and Research in Motion, the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry devices.