Microsoft today announced that its MyPhone (announced last February) service for Windows Mobile phones is now available. The free application that supports 25 languages allows Windows Mobile 6.0 or 6.1 device to download the software and begin using the service.
Microsoft My Phone syncs information between your mobile phone and the web, enabling you to:
Back up and restore your cell phone's information to a password-protected web site
Access and update your contacts and appointments through your web account
Share photos on your phone with family and friends
The beauty of MyPhone is that if you loose your phone, all your information is available and can be downloaded to your new phone.
Send messages to any of the people in your Friends list.
Take pictures and videos on your phone, and then upload them right to Facebook.
Send messages or call people in your Friends list.
Manage your profile and post anytime, anywhere.
You can also keep up with the latest news and posts with Facebook on your phone. Your status updates can be up-to-the moment accounts of what you’re doing. Upload photos and videos to show your friends what you’re up to, while you’re out and about.
Today Tellme, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. and provider of voice services, announced the first mobile voice service to combine content and communications, simplifying how people interact with their phones every day. Unlike other voice-based services, Tellme is the first to allow people to press one button, say what they want and get it, whether that is to send a text, make a call or search for information. Tellme has designed a unique version of this experience specifically for Windows phones due out this fall.
The new service puts many of the most popular phone functions behind a single button. Windows phone users just press the side button of their phone to:
Send a text by saying "text" to open a text box, then speak the text message and send to call anyone in their contact list
Initiate a call simply by saying "call" and then the name of anyone in their contact list
Search the Web with Microsoft Live Search by speaking your request, such as "weather in San Francisco, California", "Pizza in Kansas City" or "mother's day gift ideas"
Windows Live Hotmail, a web-based email solutions, is now available on Nokia Messaging, the service that enables people to access their personal email on their Nokia devices*.
In May, Nokia Messaging will also be supported by the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia's first mass-market touchscreen device, adding to the tens of millions of popular Nokia devices in the hands of consumers that already support the service.
Nokia Messaging is currently free to download and set-up, and supports the world's most popular email accounts - Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL Mail - and accounts from thousands of other email providers. Easy to use, it enables access of up to 10 personal email accounts on a Nokia device, and through one single icon. Once Nokia Messaging is set-up, email accounts can be added to the service directly on the phone, as well as via the Nokia Messaging websit.
Microsoft Corp. has announced new details about how developers can build and sell applications for Windows phones through Windows Marketplace for Mobile, the recently announced application marketplace available with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. Microsoft will provide developers with 70 percent of the sales revenue of their applications from Windows Marketplace for Mobile, transparency throughout the certification process, and guidance and support from the stage of development to the final sale to the consumer. Developers can get the tools to begin developing for Windows phones at http://developer.windowsmobile.com.
Developers who sell applications through Windows Marketplace for Mobile will receive 70 percent of the revenue from the sales of each application. In addition, they will be able to set the price for their applications in each market, maximizing their revenues based on targeted pricing strategies. Developers can also choose to distribute their applications at no cost. Up to five application submissions to Windows Marketplace for Mobile is included in the introductory annual registration fee of $99 (U.S.).
Good news! Google Mobile App now available on phones powered by Windows Mobile. Now you can download it at http://m.google.com/search on your mobile phone. (See video to the right)
Google Mobile App for Windows Mobile features:
Allows faster searching Windows Mobile device
Easy access to your favorite Google applications from the Today screen
No need to wait for a browser to open to begin a search
Search history to reduce typing
Get Search results with fewer clicks than before
Pocket PC users can add the Google Mobile App to the start menu (Settings: Menus)
Pocket PC users can configure a hardware key (Settings: Buttons) to provide easy access from within any application on your phone
Acer today announced four new touch phones powered by Windows Mobile Professional; the M900, F900, DX900 and X960. The new handset all have similar features, which, include quad-band GSM/EDGE and tri-band HSDPA, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microSDHC support. They handset also feature a custom widget UI on top of Windows Mobile.
Today at Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners, HTC, LG and Orange, unveiled new Windows phones featuring new user-friendly software and services.
The next generation of Windows phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web.
The new Windows Mobile 6.5 home screen keeps people up-to-date on important information by providing a dashboard-like experience to items such as new e-mails, texts, missed calls and calendar appointments.
Today Sprint announced the Motorla i365IS push-to-talk handset. The i365IS combines Sprint’s is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical or thermal energy to ignite fuel and cause a fire or explosion. The handset announces the follow:
Direct Connect – Instant, one-to-one push-to-talk communication nationwide with any other Nextel1 Direct Connect subscriber.
Group Connect – Communicate or coordinate activities with up to 20 other Nextel Direct Connect subscribers all at once – nationwide, quickly and easily. Create and manage groups dynamically on your phone.
International Direct ConnectSM – International Direct Connect Calling lets you instantly connect from the U.S. to users in other eligible countries including Canada and Mexico. In addition, International Direct Connect Roaming lets you make and receive push-to-talk calls while traveling in those countries.
Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc.(RMT) is releasing its newest tracking application for GPS-enabled cell phones. Anyone with a Blackberry or Windows Mobile device can track their cell phone from any computer through web-based tracking software.
The technology used for this purpose is a full-featured, tracking software called NavIQ Mobile. Global in range, NavIQ Mobile allows the user to have access to a wide range of features. The tracking software is available in over 56 countries in Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
With the introduction of the NavIQ Mobile technology, the safety and security benefits to the individual user are significant. Cell phones are now GPS-enabled so that emergency call centers are more accurately able to detect a person's position in the same way that they can trace calls made from land lines.
In 2003, the Federal Communications Commission passed a directive which required all cell phones manufactured after 2005 to be GPS capable.
Microsoft recently released Windows Live Search Mobile version 4.0, which the company demonstrated last week at CES. The application is a downloadable search and map app for Windows Mobile 5 and 6.
Following Google's lead, the new Locate Me feature in Windows Live Search Mobile works on non-GPS phones to zero in on your approximate location. You can also easily add your location manually instead.
Another new feature is Predictive Text which suggests search terms when a user types a query into the search box. The search box will now accept mixed queries; so if you speak or type a business name and city into the search box, you'll see results for the business in that second location, without changing your master location. Probably the best feature is the Bird's Eye View which is similar to Google's Street View.
Microsoft recently launched its first application for the Apple iPhone, called Seadragon Mobile (see video to the right). The application is free for users who want to browse very large pages on their iPhone's 3.5-inch touch screen.
The application is pretty slick which changes the way users use screens; from wall-sized displays to cell phones screens, so that graphics and photos are smoothly browsed, regardless of the amount of data or bandwidth on the network.
With Seadragon the speed of navigation is independent of the size or number of objects and that transitions are smooth. It also promises that performance depends only on the ratio of bandwidth to pixels on the screen and that scaling is nearly perfect and rapid for screens of any resolution.
Microsoft may introduce a new mobile phone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) January 2009 in Las Vegas that combines features of its Zune digital media player. It's speculated that Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer may announce the new handset during his keynote address kicking off the CES.
CNBC reported last month that Microsoft was working on a project codenamed "Pink". Pink combines the Zune and the Sidekick. Microsoft purchased Danager last February who manufacturers the Sidekick.
The Sidekick is a powerful handset that includes support for video capture, playback and sharing; wireless stereo music and media sharing via Bluetooth; quick friend search and optimized group chats in instant messaging (IM); customizable Web browsing; and universal search across all phone applications and data. In addition, the phone's shell is customizable, creating a unique look for every device.
It looks like Microsoft Corp is getting close to an agreement with Verizon Wireless to become the default search provider on the wireless carrier's cell phones. This would be a blow to Google!
If the agreement is reached, Microsoft will share with Verizon ad revenue from cell phone Web searches with guaranteed payments to Verizon of $550 million to $650 million over five years. This amount is about twice what Google offered.
Microsoft is also negotiating a deal to put its Windows Mobile software in additional Verizon devices, however, it's not clear if Microsoft is offering to pay Verizon for this.
Microsoft Corp. and CNBC Inc. today announced that Microsoft will be the exclusive third-party provider of mobile WAP site display advertising to CNBC.com's U.S. mobile audience of 1.1 million unique monthly visitors. This alliance represents Microsoft's first mobile ad syndication deal in the U.S. and is an extension of the companies' online advertising collaboration announced last December.
The expansion of the Microsoft and CNBC.com alliance will provide advertisers with further opportunities to extend audience reach and engage with their audience in more relevant ways at home, at work and on the go across multiple platforms, devices and geographies.
Advertisers will also be able to take advantage of two premium mobile ad placements that conform to the Mobile Marketing Association's global standards and deliver a consistent and engaging experience for consumers. Ford Motor Co. is one of the first companies to launch a CNBC mobile advertising campaign in which Microsoft will serve mobile display ads.
AT&T Inc. has announced that the anticipated Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 (MDM) is now available to AT&T business customers who use smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.1.
In conjunction with the availability of Mobile Device Manager, AT&T also announced today the availability of the MDM Early Adopter QuickStart Program that was developed cooperatively by AT&T and Enterprise Mobile and is an exclusive offering designed to assist AT&T customers with deploying the Microsoft mobility solution.
Mobile Device Manager is an enterprise-grade mobile device management solution that also provides security, mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) and software distribution for Windows Mobile devices. Mobile Device Manager is natively supported by the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.1.
Available today from T-Mobile USA Inc., the new T-Mobile Sidekick powered by Danger (a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.) introduces innovative software, services and hardware customization that improve an already celebrated mobile experience.
The new Sidekick features key software improvements including support for video capture, playback and sharing; wireless stereo music and media sharing via Bluetooth; quick friend search and optimized group chats in instant messaging (IM); customizable Web browsing; and universal search across all phone applications and data. In addition, the phone's shell is customizable, creating a unique look for every device.
The result is a Sidekick that is fun to use and showcases the owner's individuality and style.
Microsoft Corp. and Research In Motion recently announced an agreement to provide Microsoft Windows Live services on BlackBerry smartphones. As a result of this collaboration, BlackBerry smartphone customers will enjoy easy mobile access to Windows Live Messenger and an enhanced level of integration between Windows Live Hotmail and the BlackBerry platform.
The integration of Windows Live services into the BlackBerry platform will allow customers who use Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger on their BlackBerry smartphone to benefit from the BlackBerry platform architecture with the ability to communicate in real-time using push technology, and offering an exceptional mobile communications experience.
Customers will also be able to seamlessly access their Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger account from their BlackBerry smartphone by simply entering their Windows Live e-mail address and password once.
AT&T Inc., Microsoft Corp., HTC Corp. and I-play announced today the creation of the AT&T Game Development Contest for Windows Mobile to discover the next breakthrough mobile game.
Windows Mobile games represent the fastest-growing segment of the AT&T gaming business. The AT&T Game Development Contest, launching May 1, is truly unique as it represents the first time all members of the mobile gaming ecosystem are collaborating in an effort to inspire the developer community to take mobile gaming applications to the next level.
In a May 2007 research report, Gartner Inc. forecast worldwide mobile gaming end-user revenue to reach $9.6 billion in 2011 — up significantly from the $2.9 billion realized in 2006. Gartner attributes this projected growth in mobile gaming to consumer awareness and the increase in content being developed by gaming publishers.
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