With the release of the new Windows Mobile 2003 (WM2k3) operating system, Microsoft has played its first card in a hand designed to move corporate users out of the continual evaluation cycle for mobile devices and into the more profitable purchasing mode. It hopes to do this with a true mobile OS, a set of mobile-enabled servers and services to be released throughout 2003, and a familiar corporate development platform. I’ll examine the elements of this mobility power play and look at its potential to change the corporate landscape for mobile functionality.

The true mobile OS
Most analysts who look at the mobile device market don’t really understand the difference in the value proposition between a PDA that can run some additional programs (the Palm OS and its derivatives) and a true mobile OS that’s designed from the ground up for full mobile functionality and connectivity. The feature set of WM2k3 should help them and the corporations who buy their research finally see the difference. It’s the first mobile OS designed to really take advantage of any available communications protocols.

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These key protocols include 802.11b, Bluetooth, GSM, and CDMA. For example, the new Zero Configuration Wi-Fi lets you easily connect to a wireless hot spot and saves the settings so that you can connect automatically the next time you’re within range of the same wireless network. This makes moving between wireless networks simple and makes using both internal corporate wireless networks and external vendor networks like tMobile much easier to manage. WM2k3’s built-in Bluetooth support allows you to use any Bluetooth device, but it’s especially convenient if you have a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

I’ve worked with many companies in deploying mobile applications that required cables between their mobile devices and mobile phones, and this eliminates one of the biggest headaches--the cabling. The new GSM and CDMA phone support in the WM2k3 Phone edition or the Pocket PC edition with a phone card allows you to move seamlessly between voice and data connectivity, making it easier to talk, send messages, and maintain presence information without requiring the user to log in and out of services when changing modes. Of course, the ability to keep a mobile OS connected is meaningless without a secure way to connect and something to consume on the device.

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