Microsoft's next wireless push courts the enterprise

Microsoft announced new server software to help businesses manage a company's fleet of smartphones, hinted at an improved browser for Windows Mobile and said it was funding a related startup in Boston. The new product is called System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 and the startup is Enterprise Mobile, which is a service provider that aims to help businesses manage the process of distributing smartphones in large corporations. 

Scott Horn, a general manager in Microsoft's mobile device unit, noted that while the company is certainly aiming to court the I.T. departments of large and small businesses, it has not forgotten its consumer audience either. Horn hinted that a new and improved Windows Mobile browser could be on the way: "Do I see a path where we are going to have a phenomenal browsing experience," Horn said. "Yes, I do."

"CIOs are waking up and saying I want to make smartphones and Windows Mobile first class citizens on the network," Horn said. "(They are saying) 'I want to move beyond a tactical solution for email and for a few people.'"

For more on Microsoft's push:
- read this article from Fortune