Pocket PC Renamed, Refocused

Today, Microsoft rebranded its Pocket PC software as Windows Mobile. The move is consistent with other recent Microsoft changes, such as rebranding the Office and server software families as, respectively, Office System and Server System. Microsoft is folding together the software for Pocket PC handhelds and the Smartphone under the new brand.

Like Office System and Server System, the rebranding is part of a strategy to make Windows Mobile more of a “platform” other companies build products onto. The software supports Microsoft’s .Net Compact Framework, a runtime environment used for creating Web services.

The name change also puts more emphasis on the well-known Windows brand in handheld and handset markets where Microsoft seeks to improve its visibility. The change extends the Windows brand from the desktop (Windows XP) and the server (Windows Server 2003) to the handheld device (Windows Mobile).

Microsoft also unveiled Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC software, which will power new handhelds from Dell, HP and Toshiba, among other manufacturers. Gateway and JVC also signed on board as new, branded Pocket PC distributors.

Recent Pocket PC upgrades focused on the corporate market. But Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC offers goodies that may appeal to consumers, too. Consumers using Microsoft’s Plus! Digital Media Edition, an add-on pack for Windows XP, will find better integration between Windows Mobile 2003 than its predecessor. Integration is smoother with the Sync & Go feature, also better enabling playback of slideshows created in Plus! DME’s Photo Story feature or home movies made using Windows Movie Maker 2. Microsoft also claims improved streaming of digital content, up to 300kbps, over WiFi connections

Microsoft claims to have improved 802.11 wireless networking support, which in some cases was difficult to configure using Pocket PC 2002 software. The new version also adds native support for Bluetooth, a feature some manufacturers have been quick to take advantage of. All four of HP’s new iPAQ models for the U.S. market come with Bluetooth. A fifth model, the h1930, will not be immediately available in the United States; Bluetooth is not integrated into that model.

Today’s announcements largely focus on handhelds, but shed any real insight on Microsoft’s Smartphone strategy. For a look at the handset market, and its possible convergence with the handheld market, I strongly recommend the report “Next-Generation Handsets” by Jupiter analyst Avi Greengart.

Posted by Joe Wilcox at June 23, 2003 09:26 AM