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Gates: "We'll Invest,
Microsoft Mobility Developer Conference, March 20, 2003
The focus was on software development and the developers in the audience, as Gates and a team of product managers showed Visual Studio .NET creating applications for deployment on devices from Tablet PCs to Pocket PCs to a Fossil SPOT watch. Ability to apply RAD efficiencies to mobile devices represents a tectonic shift from the tedium of normal embedded development. Microsoft's uniform deployment platform contrasts starkly with the highly fragmented nature of the rest of the mobile industry, with different form factors, and a range of tools, which virtually requires separate SDKs for each device offered by each carrier. Gates noted one game that was ported from the PC to the .NET Compact Framework with only a couple of developer-months, and it immediately ran on "30 devices" from several manufacturers and carriers.
Numerous case studies made the statement that Visual Studio .NET is being used today to create custom IT applications to run on handheld devices, including an impressive application by The Pepsi Bottling Group (see "Pepsi Bottler Goes Mobile With .NET" by Jeff Hadfield). But anyone expecting to see Microsoft Smartphones rumored from carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint was disappointed. Nor was Pocket PC 2003 shown. The only new hardware displayed was a trio of Pocket PC Phone Edition models from Verizon and Sprint, announced earlier this week. Both companies offer a branded version of a Samsung device with an integrated camera, while Sprint also offers a new form factor from Hitachi that features an integrated QWERTY keyboard as well as a camera. Writing managed applications with C# to run on the .NET Compact Framework was stressed in a series of demonstrations. Gates disclosed that the .NET Compact Framework will ship onboard a "next generation of Smartphones," but disclosed no details on timing or partners. As Gates pointed out, "Success of the mobility industry requires many players working together. You could say it is even more complex than the PC industry, because of the carriers." His message and the Microsoft approach are intended to appeal to many layers of the industry. To get developers interested, Microsoft is offering 25,000 ViewSonic V37 Pocket PCs to Visual Studio .NET users. For details, go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/getpocketpc. Provisioning, the telecom industry's phrase for downloading applications and setting up mobile devices, was addressed by creation of "XML fragments." Microsoft promises that this will help control customer service costs. Again, visual tools simplify this process.
One clever demonstration application showed off the flexibility of Visual Studio .NET, coupled with the .NET Compact Framework. The C# application sent invitations for coffee to a buddy list, using Location APIs to display the invitees on a map. One of the messages was sent to a Fossil watch. This is a Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) device, a system announced earlier this year, which uses a one-way radio network Microsoft purchased. The SPOT devices run a subset of the .NET Compact Framework driving a 120x92 black and white screen to fit in watches and presumably, other small, wearable form factors. In addition to Fossil, devices are promised from Citizen as well as Suunto of Finland. Gates said that a "next wave … in the next year or so" will include not only the .NET Compact Framework, but also unspecified "messaging enhancements." Then in the future, improved APIs will be offered for PIMs, Graphics, Bluetooth, and Multimedia. Gates also promised improved C++ integration and extensive investments in voice recognition. Gates preempted criticism that the installed base of devices running the .NET Compact Framework is too small to merit attention by first stating that Microsoft has "55 percent of the U.S. market for WAN-enabled PDAs," and that "What we measure and care about is the high end of the market." Then Gates wooed carriers by stating that average revenue per user increases 15 percent per month for Smartphone users, who are also 63 percent more loyal to their carriers. Microsoft's commitment to winning in this market was hammered home. "This will be the fastest growing of all our businesses," Gates said. "We will invest and invest and invest to get the most powerful platform because we believe in [mobile devices]." About the Author |
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