Friday, February 17, 2006
2006 - The Year of Windows Mobile? Could Be...
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "ARTICLE" @ 04:00 AM
http://gigaom.com/2006/02/16/revenge-of-windows-mobile/
"Will 2006 be the year when Microsoft Mobile finally takes off? It certainly looks like that. Microsoft’s mobile ambitions are on display at the 3GSM show in Barcelona. CEO Steve Ballmer gave a big wet kiss to wireless operators in his Valentine’s Day keynote address at the wireless mega show. Store shelves are crammed with brand new Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. And a lot of it has do with HTC and its amazing designs. Cingular 8125, T-Mobile’s latest revs of SDA and MDA and Treo 700. HP just announced a refreshed line-up. The Motorola Q is one of the most eagerly awaited PDA/phones. More are coming. Like the new Samsung i320 which features a full keyboard device, very small and compact. There are 47 device makers churning out Windows Mobile devices."
47 makers! I can't keep track of them anymore. Heck, I have trouble keeping up with just what i-mate is doing. They have been pumping out a device every 45 days it seems, and that is just the Pocket PC side. Smartphones are coming out left and right as well. I know that many are the same basic models from HTC sold under eleventy-three brand names, but that is what drives the market.
Still, as far as I am concerned, 2005 was the year you really saw Windows Mobile devices take off, at least here in the US. Every carrier had at least one and I know carriers in Europe were already big on Windows Mobile, especially the Smartphone flavor. The new crop of square screened devices with full QWERTY keyboards are pulling people in that have never been interested in a PDA before, and the Treo 700w tops the list.
Of course, there are devices for the geeks too. I never fail to turn a few heads when I pull out my K-Jam or JasJar. :D I should get a commission on these things for my referrals.
"Will 2006 be the year when Microsoft Mobile finally takes off? It certainly looks like that. Microsoft’s mobile ambitions are on display at the 3GSM show in Barcelona. CEO Steve Ballmer gave a big wet kiss to wireless operators in his Valentine’s Day keynote address at the wireless mega show. Store shelves are crammed with brand new Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. And a lot of it has do with HTC and its amazing designs. Cingular 8125, T-Mobile’s latest revs of SDA and MDA and Treo 700. HP just announced a refreshed line-up. The Motorola Q is one of the most eagerly awaited PDA/phones. More are coming. Like the new Samsung i320 which features a full keyboard device, very small and compact. There are 47 device makers churning out Windows Mobile devices."
47 makers! I can't keep track of them anymore. Heck, I have trouble keeping up with just what i-mate is doing. They have been pumping out a device every 45 days it seems, and that is just the Pocket PC side. Smartphones are coming out left and right as well. I know that many are the same basic models from HTC sold under eleventy-three brand names, but that is what drives the market.
Still, as far as I am concerned, 2005 was the year you really saw Windows Mobile devices take off, at least here in the US. Every carrier had at least one and I know carriers in Europe were already big on Windows Mobile, especially the Smartphone flavor. The new crop of square screened devices with full QWERTY keyboards are pulling people in that have never been interested in a PDA before, and the Treo 700w tops the list.
Of course, there are devices for the geeks too. I never fail to turn a few heads when I pull out my K-Jam or JasJar. :D I should get a commission on these things for my referrals.
