microsoft

Rumor Mill: Is Microsoft making a Zune smartphone?

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:04:50 -0500

Rumors are circulating of a possible Microsoft smartphone based on the software giant's Zune digital music player. Code-named "Pink," the phone will use technology from Microsoft's acquisition of Danger, the company that brought the Sidekick to T-Mobile.

The phone may be set to debut as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show or at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, according to a report on CNBC.com. Rumors have swirled for more than a year around whether Microsoft would be readying a Zune-branded phone. Microsoft, as late as June of this year, denied any kind of development of such a phone.

The most obvious competition for the phone would be from Microsoft nemesis Apple and the iPhone 3G. While Microsoft's position in the mobile space has been limited to the widespread use of its Windows Mobile platform, a foray into handset manufacturing would put it squarely into competition with Apple and other phones that double as digital music players.

For more:
- see this article

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Microsoft: No Zune phone in the cards
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Verizon, Microsoft closer to search deal

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:56:28 -0500

Verizon Wireless and Microsoft are close to a deal that will make Microsoft the default search engine for most Verizon phones, edging out Microsoft's rival Google, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Those familiar with the discussions said the two companies are close to reaching a deal, and as part of the agreement, Microsoft would share with Verizon revenue generated from ads shown alongside web searches. Microsoft is prepared to make guaranteed payments of between $500 million and $650 million to Verizon over the course of five years, which is about double what Google offered.

Verizon has said it will make a decision soon. Separately, Microsoft is also considering a deal to put Windows Mobile on more Verizon handsets, which could bring the total of the two deals to more than $1 billion.

For more:
- see this article (sub. req.)

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Microsoft courts Verizon in search deal
Report: Verizon close to mobile search deal with Google

Microsoft courts Verizon in search deal

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:09:54 -0500

Microsoft is trying to pry Verizon Wireless away from its rival Google in a deal revolving around which company's search engine is the standard on most of Verizon's phones, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Though Google and Verizon have been in talks for months about a deal, Microsoft is trying to poach Verizon from Google by offering a better deal with more incentives. According to people familiar with the matter, Microsoft is offering more revenue sharing and substantially higher payments to Verizon.

Verizon is still considering both companies' offers and has not made a decision. Microsoft is trying to leverage its position against Google, and saw an opening as Google's advertising partnership with Yahoo fell apart this week.

For more:
- see this article (sub. req.)

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Report: Verizon close to mobile search deal with Google
Google continues to dominate mobile search

FCC approves white spaces, creates interference restrictions

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:04:05 -0500

WASHINGTON--Ushering in a new era of wireless communications, the FCC voted Tuesday to approve the unlicensed use of TV white space spectrum for wireless applications and devices. However, the FCC did add some rigorous conditions under which the devices would have to operate to prevent interference.

White space spectrum--the spectrum that sits between airwaves currently licensed to TV broadcasters--has been the focus of intense debate for months. Tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Motorola had been advocating using those slices of spectrum to bring broadband wireless access to rural areas of the United States and to increase the use of wireless devices and applications in the spectrum in general.

The FCC heralded the decision as a big step forward for wireless technology in the United States. "One of the lessons of history I have learned since coming to the commission is the power of technology to turn scarcity into abundance," Commissioner Michael Copps said.

The FCC voted to approve the use of both unlicensed fixed band devices and portable personal devices that have geolocation capabilities and access to an FCC database of TV signals and locations of things such as stadiums, churches and entertainment venues where wireless microphones were being used. These database and geolocation capabilities would, in theory, prevent interference with broadcast TV stations and wireless microphones and ensure compliance with FCC rules.

The FCC did not approve devices that used spectrum sensing technology only, but did say that these devices could be approved at a later date if they would undergo additional certifications, including proof-of-performance tests. These tests would be public and public comment could be made on them.

"Does this seem almost too good to be true? It does," Copps said. "But so did the modern cell phone industry. And the explosion of WiFi devices. This is the history of wireless industry in a nutshell, with the nearly miraculous becoming commonplace."

Copps noted that all white space devices would have get individual FCC approval, and could be shut off if interfere or if there is a manufacturing flaw in the device.

Commisioner Jonathan Adelstein praised the effort. "White spaces are the blank pages on which we'll write our broadband future," he said.

Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate dissented in part on the measure, and expressed concerns that the process for dealing with potential interference issues was too vague.

Google, in particular, was intensely involved in the lobbying, starting a website, www.freetheairwaves.com, to argue their case. Top Microsoft executives, including founder Bill Gates, weighed in on the matter.

The move was vehemently opposed by the National Broadcasters Association, which argued that that unlicensed use of white space would create too much interference for broadcasters, and a slew of recording artists who said that it would interfere with wireless microphones used in performances.

The battle drew in members of Congress who argued for a delay on the vote and U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who argued that the proposal should be voted on.

Commisioner Robert McDowell said the order was "prudent" and "cautious" and had appropriate safeguards for interference.

"One day we will likely look back on this order and think of it is quaint, but today it is state-of-the-art," he said.

Related Articles:
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Lawmakers jump into fray over white-space
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FCC set to vote on white-space issue Nov. 4

Microsoft, LG to collaborate on converged devices

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:42:20 -0500

Microsoft and LG announced a memorandum of understanding that ties the two companies further together on mobile devices.

The agreement calls for greater collaboration on research and development, marketing, applications and services in the converged mobile devices space.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that in the face of increasing competition in the mobile devices space, it made sense for both companies to pursue an aggressive, forward-looking strategy. "At the end of the day, the only way to really move forward is to continue to push new technology, new products and new innovations that have the opportunity to help all of our customers, improve businesses, their lives and reduce cost," he said.

Microsoft also plans to invest $60 million in South Korea over the next three years, in different economic areas, including training and business development.

For more:
- see this article
- see this article about the investment

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Microsoft mulling Windows Mobile/Zune convergence
Microsoft: Zune software coming to Windows Mobile

FCC commissioner optimistic white-space will pass

Phil Goldstein — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:10:27 -0400

FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he was "optimistic" the commission would approve the use of white-space spectrum for unlicensed wireless applications and devices when it meets Nov. 4. "I'm very optimistic. I think this could be a 5-to-0 vote," he said. "The order itself is a very tight box. Each device still has to be certified by the FCC."

The FCC has been receiving a slew of pleas from both sides on the issue ahead of the vote. Companies such as Google, Microsoft and Motorola have argued that opening up the white-space spectrum--the narrow bands of unused spectrum that sits between airwaves currently used by TV broadcasters--will lead to increased broadband access for rural parts of the United States, among other potential benefits. The National Association of Broadcasters, along with an increasing cohort of musicians argue that doing so will lead to too much interference with broadcast TV stations and possibly with wireless microphones.

For more:
-see this article

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Lawmakers jump into fray over white-space
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Microsoft intensifies white-space lobbying efforts

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:13:10 -0400

Microsoft is launching an intensified lobbying effort to convince the FCC commissioners to support the proposal to allow white space spectrum (the spectrum that sits between airwaves currently licensed to TV broadcasters) to be used for unlicensed wireless applications and devices.

Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, said in a conference call Monday morning sponsored by the Wireless Innovation Alliance that he had met with FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein earlier in the day and was planning on meeting with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin later in the day. He also said that he and Microsoft Chairman and founder Bill Gates were going to be calling FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell to personally press Microsoft's case.

The FCC is planning on voting on the proposal at its Nov. 4 meeting. The National Association of Broadcasters, which opposes the proposal because it says there will be too much interference with TV broadcast stations, has filed an emergency request to delay the vote by asking for more time for public comment.

Mundie said that those concerns were overblown, and that both in theory and in practical testing there was no reason to suggest that there would an interference issue. Opening up white-space represents a golden opportunity for the United States, he said.

"It's a great opportunity for the U.S. to not only develop the technology but to lead in its deployment," he said. "As broadband connectivity becomes more and more a part of everybody's daily life, you're just going to need more of it," Mundie said. "Here you could have propagation that could be much larger."

Mundie also said that his general sense was that the FCC was likely to vote to approve the use of unlicensed white-space. "I've been involved with them for quite a long time," he said referring to the FCC commissioners. "People seem to be generally favorable."

For more:
- see this article
-see this letter Mundie sent to Congressional offices

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Lawmakers jump into fray over white-space
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FCC set to vote on white-space issue Nov. 4

14. Andrew Lees, Senior Vice President, Mobile Communications Division, Microsoft

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:05:48 -0400

What makes him powerful: With all the attention and hype lavished on upstart mobile operating systems like Apple's iPhone and Google's Android, it's easy to forget just how dominant Microsoft's Windows Mobile OS remains. After all, the software giant recently revealed the number of Windows Mobile licenses grew by 81 percent in the past year alone, and there are now more than 18,000 WinMo apps in all. Yet there exists little if any excitement around Microsoft's mobile efforts, which poses a unique and complex challenge for the firm's mobile communications division senior vice president Andrew Lees: In its fight with iPhone and Android, Windows Mobile is both David and Goliath, an underdog undermined by its own lumbering mass and scale, complete with a patchwork multitude of devices and applications viewed as passé by the affluent, tastemaking subscribers that operators covet the most.

The task facing Lees--who has overseen development, marketing and sales of Microsoft mobile software and services since the February resignation of predecessor Pieter Knook, who took over mobile web initiatives for telecoms group Vodafone--is transforming the fragmented Windows Mobile ecosystem into a more cohesive platform with a clearly definable identity in the marketplace. Central to Microsoft's evolution is the rumored launch of Skymarket, a centralized virtual marketplace enabling consumers to find, purchase and download applications and content optimized for Windows Mobile-based devices--there's never been a universal destination for users seeking WinMo apps, and the success of Apple's App Store has proven the concept an essential element of any flourishing mobile software platform.

No less important to Microsoft's mobile aspirations is the release of the long-rumored Windows Mobile 7...but here's where it gets tricky. While Microsoft has never officially confirmed a timetable for Windows Mobile 7, which is expected to include features like advanced gesture recognition and speech-input services, reports indicate the company has privately informed some partners the revamped OS won't be available until at least the second half of 2009, effectively pushing the commercial launch of WinMo 7 devices into 2010. With Microsoft's share of the smartphone market continuing to erode with each passing quarter, a new and much-improved Windows Mobile is critical, and time is of the essence--Windows Mobile still casts a massive shadow over the wireless software landscape, but surely Lees recognizes that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Microsoft: No Silverlight for iPhone, maybe for G1

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:03:22 -0400

Microsoft said it was probably not going to be putting its Flash competitor Silverlight on Apple's iPhone 3G, but said it was keeping a watchful eye on Google's Android platform, and said Silverlight might get onto T-Mobile's G1.

The website Tech Radar quotes Scott Guthrie, vice president of Microsoft's .NET developer division, as saying that Microsoft has talked about putting Silverlight onto the iPhone, but so far Apple has balked, as it has with Adobe's Flash player.

He did say, however, that the G1 remains a distinct possibility as a possible outlet for Silverlight going forward. "It's more of an open platform, that is something we're going to continue to look at," he said. "Certainly as it's gotten deployed and if sales are good we'll definitely keep our eyes out and look at that in the future."

Earlier this spring Microsoft inked a deal with Nokia to run Silverlight on the Symbian OS.

For more:
- see this article

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Nokia releases two email-optimized ESeries devices

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:40:28 -0400

Nokia has introduced two email-optimized devices from the Nokia Eseries product line. The Nokia E71 and the Nokia E66 feature a full Qwerty board and a slide-to-open design and are slated to ship in key markets next month. Both are expected to retail at about $540 before taxes and subsidies.

The devices include a one-touch email access feature. Microsoft Mail for Exchange comes pre-loaded on both devices, enabling access to email, calendars, contacts and tasks as well as attachments such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files directly on the devices.

For more:
- read this release
- check out our slideshow of the E71

Related story:
Nokia launches the E51. Nokia E51 story

ALSO NOTED: VZ Navigator 4.0; A Zune content filter? and much more...

Thu, 08 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Report: Mobile social networking tops 4 million users in the U.S.

> Microsoft denies plans for Zune content filter.

> Verizon Wireless announces updates for VZ Navigator.

> NBC launches multi-platform Women at NBCU effort.

And Finally... Lebanese civil war fueled by cell phones. Article

ALSO NOTED: Instinct promo site; Alcatel Playboy phone; and much more...

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Samsung launches a promotional website for the Instinct, which is set to debut on Sprint's network in the coming months. Article | Photo

> The Playboy branded handset by Alcatel fails to impress. Article | Photo

> Microsoft walks away from Yahoo bid.

> Burger King serves mobile food for thought.

> Digital media revenue rising.

> Associated Press launches mobile news network.

And Finally... Mobile phones that can save your life. Article

AT&T to launch Surface in-store experience soon

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:59:54 -0400

AT&T is launching Microsoft's Surface-enabled touch screen tables at four AT&T stores today, according to comments AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega made at CTIA earlier this month. Stores in New York, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Bruno, California are rumored to be the first to commercially launch the new technology.

In AT&T stores it will be used as a means for users to access information about devices, rate plans and services. Microsoft's Surface has object recognition technology, so if a device is placed on the table, the surface displays information on that device. A user can even place multiple devices on the Surface side-by-side and the table will compare and contrast them. The user interface on Surface was designed by Microsoft's team, while some of the retail side applications were mostly designed by AT&T's design team with help from Avenue A/Razorfish.

For more on the Surface tables at AT&T:
- read this post from CNET

Microsoft completes Danger acquisition, restructures

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Microsoft announced today that it had completed its acquisition of SideKick-maker Danger and that the Danger team will be folded into Microsoft's Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) unit. PMX is a group within the company's Mobile Communications Business of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. Roz Ho leads the PMX team as corporate VP and reports to SVP of MCB Andy Lees. Danger co-founders Matt Hershenson and Joe Britt will report directly to Ho. Danger employees, however, will continue to work from their current offices.

For more on the acquisition:
- read this press release

Related Articles:
Danger files for IPO
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ALSO NOTED: 3UK going bit-pipe? First certified WiMAX products; and much more...

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Pepsi taps MyClick for mobile marketing. Article

> Is 3 U.K. moving toward a bit-pipe model? Article

> WiMAX Forum certifies first WiMAX products. Article

> World Economic Forum praises WiMAX. Article

> More clues about the 3G iPhone. Article

> WorldTV teams with Qik for cross-platform video. Article

> News Corp. may join Microsoft in Yahoo bid. Article

And Finally... Verizon Wireless helps widower find his deceased wife's voicemail greeting after it got deleted during a service upgrade. Article

ALSO NOTED: Samsung seeks top spot; Another Hummer phone; and much more...

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Samsung looks to become the top mobile phone maker in the U.S. by the second half of this year. Motorola is the current top dog. Article

> Softbank added the most subscribers last year by adding close to 2.7 million subscribers. Article

> Supergirl flies onto Sprint's handsets. Article

> Yahoo contends that Microsoft's bid is too low. Article

And Finally... The second coming of the Hummer phone. Article

AT&T announces Surface in stores

Mike Dolan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:23:15 -0400

At a press luncheon, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega announced that his company will be the first to deploy Microsoft's Surface technology in their stores.

Photo Credit: Mehan Jayasuriya

Click here to see the rest of the slideshow.

Another Microsoft white spaces device fails

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:59:54 -0400

Another "white spaces" prototype submitted to the FCC by Microsoft stopped working this week, but Microsoft said the device did not interfere with spectrum allocated to television, which was the purpose of the testing. Two months ago, the FCC had to take another Microsoft-backed device out of testing because of power issues. The National Association of Broadcasters, which opposes white space devices, pulled no punches:

"In baseball, it's three strikes and you're out. How many strikes does Microsoft get? If they can't get the device to work in the lab, how are they going to get it to work in the real world?" NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said in a statement. "Considering where we are in the lab testing process...we think that it's more prudent to continue with the other non-Microsoft devices that are currently going through testing," a Microsoft spokesperson said.

For more on the prototype:
- read this article from InfoWorld

Interview: Microsoft on the enterprise iPhone

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

FierceWireless' sister publication CIO:TechWatch recently sat down with Adam Glick, Technical Product Manager for Microsoft's Exchange group, to discuss Microsoft's deal with Apple for licensing its Exchange email server for the iPhone.

TechWatch: How did the partnership between Apple and Microsoft come about?

Adam Glick: From our standpoint it was always a partnership--it was really the two companies coming together, asking 'Does this partnership make sense for us?'" Really they're the ultimate player to sign on in terms of smartphone manufacturers and this really highlights that this is the premiere messaging solution for enterprises. We started working with them a while ago and eventually, we both found the right partnership. We're thrilled that this is finally being announced.

TW: Why did Apple choose to bring Exchange support to the iPhone now? It seems like iPhone users have been asking for Exchange compatibility since day one? More...

Analyst: Dell to launch smartphone soon

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

Analysts are once again clamoring for Dell to launch a smartphone soon. Strategy Analytics' director of wireless device strategies Neil Mawston told MacWorld the development of smartphones would be a logical step for Dell to expand its presence in the mobile market. Mawston pointed out that Apple, HP and Toshiba are already in the business of smartphones and PDAs, so the competitive threat and market itself are just too big to ignore. While the rumor that claimed Dell would launch a Google Android-powered smartphone at Mobile World Congress last month never came to fruition, the company could still launch such a device or ink a deal with Microsoft for Windows Mobile. Mawston also noted that Dell needs to replace its Axim PDAs, which it killed off last year.

According to a recent report from ABI Research, one in three phones sold in 2013 will be a smartphone. Smartphones will increase from the 10 percent market share they have now to 31 percent market share in five years, according to the report.

For more on Dell's rumored smartphone plans:
- read this article from MacWorld