Microsoft's Motorola-based pager-phone handheld device
02 April 2001
Microsoft has launched a two-way pager and a mobile phone with a colour screen that browses the Web, as the software giant continues to spread its corporate wings beyond its basic software business.
The Motorola-based pager will include Microsoft's instant message and Hotmail e-mail services, while the cellphone, made by Mitsubishi, uses a compact version of Microsoft's Explorer Web browser.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer also announced a deal to make a phone based on Microsoft's "Stinger" system, as well as a joint effort with Hewlett-Packard to make and sell a low-end model of its Jornada Pocket PC handheld computer.
Mr Ballmer made the announcements in his keynote address at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association conference in Las Vegas last week, the largest United States wireless trade show.
The moves are part of Microsoft's effort to develop business opportunities in the market for handheld devices.
"It shows that we are making a decent amount of progress in the wireless space," says Phil Holden, director for Microsoft's mobility group. "It's not just announcements with no deliveries. The schedule for the year is going to be very aggressive, and there will be a lot going on. You're going to see products in the stores this year," Mr Holden says, referring to criticism that Microsoft has been talking about its Stinger phone and mobile browser for more than a year, but has made little progress in bringing such products to market.
Microsoft hopes that by pushing a new generation of wireless devices, it will help build a foundation for a potentially huge new market for ways to sell data and services to people on the go, which is the cornerstone of its .Net strategy.
"If you look at the software-as-a-service discussion, customers are only present at the PC for 20 to 30 per cent of the day. There's a significant amount of time being mobile, maybe not on a plane or in a car, but just away from the desk," Mr Holden says.
The pager will be available in stores later this year for about US$99 with a $15 monthly fee.
It will let users access their web-based Hotmail e-mail accounts and hold real-time two-way chats with other users of Microsoft Messenger.
"It is a part of the .Net program to offer more services, and offering them on multiple devices," says Bob Visse, product manager for MSN marketing. – SVNS
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