Pocket PC Launched Amid Great Ballyhoo
Microsoft Corp. and three partners took center stage at New York's Grand Central Station Wednesday morning where the software giant's president and CEO, Steve Ballmer, delivered not only an address to the assembled crowd of commuters, but also the goods. The gala happening was staged to launch Microsoft's new Pocket PC handheld device, with which the company hopes to knock dominant handheld builder, Palm Inc., out of the top spot in the market share derby.
The event was simultaneously Webcast along with satellite feeds to journalists worldwide, and marked the opening salvo in Microsoft's bid to strong-arm its way into the handheld arena with a product it claims is better then any similar gizmo now on the market.
Speaking above the ambient din of the morning rush hour, Ballmer touted what he called "the ultimate tool for the mobile professional."
He declared that the handheld would soon become the dominant personal computing device, replacing the staid and stationary desktop. "For the first 23 to 24 years, we talked about putting PCs on every desk and in every house. We were very focused on the PC as the only device people needed." He added that now the indications are that the future lies in wireless, hand-held computers and Web-enabled TV devices.
Among other big news at the launch was the introduction of Pocket PC Expansion Packs, which use industry-standard CompactFlash (CF) cards and software to extend the capabilities of Pocket PC devices. Two Pocket Packs are available now, and dozens of additional CF applications for memory, networking, digital cameras and other uses are planned, Microsoft said.
The Fun Pocket PC Expansion Pack will be available for free to customers who buy a Pocket PC this year and includes more than 20 applications, including Pac-Man for Pocket PC, which looks, sounds and plays like the original arcade game.
The e-mail Pocket PC Expansion Pack facilitates sending and receiving e-mail while on the go, the company said, adding that other new services and content in the new mini-PC derive from suppliers like ActiveSky Inc., America Online Inc., AtomFilms, Audible Inc., AvantGo Inc., BSQUARE Corp., Columbia TriStar Interactive, Digital Entertainment Network Inc., Ilium Software, Laridian Inc., MediaBay Inc., MSN Mobile, oppsdreams software inc., Rapture Technologies Inc., Sierra Imaging Inc., Siscosoft Corp., TeleType Co., and ZIO Interactive Inc., among others.
The Pocket PC partnership, comprised of Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., and Casio Computer Co., has bet millions on the direct challenge to Palm Inc., a subsidiary of 3Com Company and Siebel Systems, Inc.
The new device, representing Microsoft's third stab at the market, will not only keep the agenda organized, but will play music, record sound, balance the checkbook, and surf the Net via a skinnied-down version of Internet Explorer. It will also keep the datebook straight, carry a memo pad, offer expanded memory, feature an easier-to-read-than-earlier-versions screen, and drive a digital voice recorder and a Windows Media Player for music and video.
The device will run a svelte version of the Windows CE operating system. Ballmer wryly admitted to the Grand Central crowd, "We missed on some things (in earlier versions) but we've learned what matters."
Industry lore has it that Microsoft is successful with a new product or program only after the third try. Pocket PC version three attempts to make up for the faults that made earlier releases flop, and is priced "competitively" at $499 to $599.
Previous versions of Microsoft handhelds, running on Windows CE software, were slow, pricey, offered poor readability and ate batteries for lunch, but Microsoft executives crowed about the virtues of version three and pointed to one of its biggest plus factors - its ability to run a number of programs simultaneously.
Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com.