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IT Needs to Consolidate Wireless (Continued)

Whidbey Improves Mobile Development
Q: What does the Whidbey release of Visual Studio do to improve development for mobile devices? Is embedded VB finally gone (no tears will be shed there)? Is every API now handled with managed code or are there still mobile features outside the Compact Framework?

JC: Today, developers have a variety of choices to make when selecting mobile application development tools and technologies (e.g. eMbedded Visual C++ vs. Visual Basic .NET). But, with this choice comes complexity. Visual Studio Whidbey is well-positioned to address this complexity by providing a single unified development environment for all mobile application development needs—native code development with C++, managed code development with VB.NET and C#, and mobile Web development with ASP.NET.

We believe that all three programming models need to co-exist and we're well-positioned to deliver a platform and tools offering to meet the demand. As for managed code APIs, you will see us invest heavily here by building out our managed code class library further to provide a rich .NET-enabled development platform.

Q: Let's discuss reliability and updates. Phones are becoming computers, but our expectations for reliability are much greater for phones. On the other hand, the carriers as well as the device vendors don't seem prepared and/or willing to provide the after-sale support computer users expect. To its credit, Orange provided software bug fixes for its first Smartphone, provisioned over the air. But some of your other device/carrier partners seem to take the attitude, "Got a bug? OS outdated? Tough. Buy a whole new device."

JC: The mobile market is much more complex than the traditional PC market. In the mobile world, software updates require a collaboration of software manufacturer, OEM, and mobile operator. That said, having a rich device platform and advanced networks means that updates can be delivered over the air with little inconvenience to the customer.

The Orange update you mentioned is a good example of how this can work well. We're finding mobile operators interested in working with us to enable over-the-air setup and updates to Windows Mobile devices. They understand that smart devices plus new applications and services can result in more value for customers and more data revenue for them. They're motivated to facilitate this for customers vs. just selling them a different handset.

I do think you'll see more operators taking an "Orange-like" approach to updates and services for Windows Mobile-based devices, which is great for IT customers. Because we take a platform approach to our software, we'll be right there with our operator and hardware partners, providing the latest software and working cooperatively with them to address any issues that come up.

Q: A big portion of Microsoft's $6 billion in annual R&D is invested in speech. Although most attention on speech at Microsoft has centered on Longhorn, it certainly seems that speech is more important in a handheld (or hands-free) mobile device than on the desktop. What is Microsoft doing in the area of speech for mobile devices, whether on the device or the back end, and when can we expect to see results?

JC: Yes, I agree that speech recognition on a mobile device has a lot of appeal. We actually just announced a new product out of our Automotive Business Unit, called Voice Command. Voice Command uses speech recognition to let people make calls, access information, and play digital music on a Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC. We'll continue to invest in this area, but this new application is a great demonstration of the progress that's being made and the relevance of this technology for mobile devices.

Q: You mentioned the Orange and Motorola phones, which were announced this week. They are exciting devices with quite different feature sets, but the software is different also. Orange uses Smartphone 2003, while the Motorola device uses the prior version. The prior version does not include the .NET Compact Framework, and in fact you can't install CF on the Motorola. So, aren't there incompatibilities in the Microsoft platform as well?

JC: We are going through a transition now where the one overhang is the .NET Compact Framework; that's right. As of 2003 and forward, that will be installed on all devices. So, you are right about that.