Microsoft goes mobile: Microsoft has put its stamp of approval on wireless. Find out where Microsoft mobile technology will take you today ... and tomorrow.

HOW DID WE EVER get by before wireless technology? Walk into a Starbucks and you'll see as many laptops and PDAs as you do lattes and biscotti. The growing requirement to support wireless devices is driving innovation in the technology market. So, it should come as no surprise that the 800-pound gorilla of computerdom, Microsoft, is moving heavily into mobile technology. And, as is often the case with Microsoft, it isn't just dipping its toes in the water; it's making strides on a number of fronts. In this article, I'll survey Microsoft's different mobile technology initiatives and their impact on mobile computing.

Microsoft mobile technologies

The range of Microsoft's initiatives is impressive. Based on the Microsoft platform, a software developer will be able to develop applications that process speech, accept tablet input, and work on any number of smart devices. If you're a mobile device user, you'll be able to access mobile data anywhere and at any time on a variety of devices, including standard PDAs, intelligent phones, tablet PCs, handheld PCs, and a host of other smart devices. In short, Microsoft is moving on all fronts to extend its technologies well beyond the standard PC.

Let's take a look at each effort in more detail. Microsoft's mobile technologies fall into two broad categories. For operating systems and hardware, it has initiatives focused on several different smart devices. For solution developers, Microsoft is building a set of tools for delivering mobile applications and content to those devices--all based on Windows, of course.

Operating systems and hardware

On the operating system front, Windows is still the primary focus. The Pocket PC 2002 version of Windows is a big hit with the business community and has proven to be a strong rival to Palm OS. You can even get the Windows experience on cell phones, thanks to Microsoft's Smartphone technology.

Microsoft Pocket PC 2002

Pocket PC 2002, the latest incarnation of the Windows-CE-based PDA operating system, powers the familiar HP iPAQ, Toshiba Pocket PC, and Dell Axim devices, which have become commonplace in the business environment. With Internet Explorer and MSN Messenger installed and the ability for PDAs to access wireless connections, Pocket PC has become a popular platform for mobile users. In addition (as you'll see in the next section), there are a wide range of development tools for building applications for the Pocket PC platform.

The latest focus for the Pocket PC platform is building smartphone solutions. This lets users trade a cell phone and PDA for a device that combines both feature sets, although with a heavy PDA focus. T-Mobile has one of the first Pocket PC smartphones on the market. It offers Internet access from anywhere, at any time. (For more information on the T-Mobile Pocket PC phone, see Ken Getz's ADVXSOR EVAL in the January/February issue of MOBILE BUSINESS ADVISOR.) Clearly, the Pocket PC operating system continues to he the brightest star in Microsoft's mobile universe.

STATUS: The Pocket PC platform is real, and has been Microsoft's most successful foray into the mobile market thus far.

Windows CE .NET

This version of the Windows operating system is targeted at embedded devices including PDAs, TV set-top boxes, and data collection terminals, to name just a few. It includes Internet Explorer for Internet access, XML Web services, and many of the features of the .NET platform. It also supports Bluetooth, 802.11b, and other wireless protocols. The goal is to provide the familiar Windows platform for everything from specialized and standard PDAs to Internet appliances, to GPS navigation devices.

With the support for the .NET development framework, CE .NET also lets .NET developers create applications to run on embedded devices. Combined with familiar Microsoft Office technologies and Internet Explorer, the Windows standard is being brought to a number of devices.

STATUS: This product is shipping and available for use. The Microsoft site features several case studies of where it's being used in heavy industry, for intelligent consumer devices, and targeted general business use.

Smartphone

Microsoft's Smartphone platform turns the Pocket PC phone model on its head. Instead of trying to integrate the phone into the PDA format, basic PDA features are integrated into the phone. The major features include Pocket Outlook, Pocket Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, and Windows Media Player. Developers can use an SDK to build smartphone-specific applications with embedded Visual C++.

STATUS: Smartphone is relatively new technology and, as of now, is only supported by one network: Orange, a wireless carrier in the UK. The promise of running familiar applications in a PC format--including having access to the Internet--is compelling. However, it's unclear whether this operating system will take off in mainstream consumer cell phones.

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 

Through the years, there have been many attempts to implement pen-based computing. Microsoft has made another attempt by extending Windows XP to the tablet format. The main twist between this version and others is that some of the models change from a traditional laptop to the tablet format with a turn of the screen, making the device much more versatile.

One of the key requirements for utilizing the tablet is to be able to take it anywhere and capture handwritten information as needed. Built-in wireless access is a common feature on the first released versions of the tablet PC. It will be interesting to see if consumers and businesses find the tablet PC a useful mobile form factor and if it gains broad acceptance.

For more details on the tablet PC platform, see Nancy Nicolaisen's article in the January/February issue.

STATUS: Many computer manufacturers, including HP and Toshiba, are actively selling tablet PCs. You can even buy one at your local CompUSA. However, it's unclear whether cost and the limitations of digital ink will prevent the tablet PC platform from taking off in non-niche markets.

Handheld PC

Are you surprised by this one? Microsoft is still pursuing the handheld PC concept. But, you know the going is tough when the first question on the product's FAQ is, "Why is Microsoft creating a new version of the handheld PC?" With the handheld PC, Microsoft is trying to reach users who need smaller screens and ultra-portable PCs, but without the functional limitations of PDAs or the size and battery constraints of a laptop.

For mobile access, the handheld PC supports wireless access with certain cards, standard modem access, and access via a cell phone interface. The operating system is Windows CE, not Pocket PC 2002.

STATUS: These PCs might be a good fit for niche uses in the enterprise. It's hard to say if there will be a strong demand for this format.

Building mobile applications

In the early days of the computing industry, Microsoft gained a strong presence because of the ease with which developers could build applications. When Visual Basic first came out as a simple graphical approach to building Windows applications, the Windows software market took off. Microsoft hasn't forgotten that lesson and is working on a set of initiatives to empower today's developers to easily support the mobile world with existing skills and tools.

Mobile Internet toolkit/ASP.NET mobile controls

Building on the concept of extending existing development platforms to mobile development, Microsoft has released the .NET mobile controls. These are a set of server-side controls for developing ASENET Web pages targeted at mobile device display requirements. The controls support standards-based devices. Microsoft continues to add device support for the controls and provides an SDK for building custom device support.

The key value of the controls is they let developers use standard .NET programming languages such as Visual Basic and C#, along with development platforms such as Visual Studio .NET. This taps into the millions of developers who are experienced with developing on Microsoft platforms with Microsoft tools. And, of course, the controls are provided for free.

STATUS: This product has been recently released and is in its 1.0 version. Microsoft continues to add to the number of devices it natively supports.

.NET Compact Framework

Microsoft's goal for the .NET Compact Framework is to help millions of Microsoft developers develop Windows applications for "smart devices" including PDAs, phones, TV set-top boxes, etc. It leverages familiar programming languages such as Visual Basic for building smart device applications. The framework is targeted at developers who need to build applications that will run on Windows CE. NET versus browsing Web pages over a wireless connection.

Advantages of the .NET framework include managed code, Web services, and native XML support for developing mobile applications running Pocket PC 2002/Windows CE .NET.

A key goal of the framework is to support the unique capabilities of target devices. You can add devices (and features specific to those devices). Microsoft's goal for .NET is to make it the primary development platform for all its operating systems. By adding the device-targeted focus to the larger framework, it's leveraging that vision for smart devices.

STATUS: Microsoft just released the .NET Compact Framework to manufacturing. Beta users of Visual Studio .NET 2003 beta can use the framework and build production applications.

SQL Server CE 2.0

For databases in mobile smart device environments, Microsoft has developed a small footprint version of its enterprise-level database, SQL Server. SQL Server lets applications store data completely offline or sync data to enterprise servers when connected. Again, Microsoft is leveraging widely used technology for the mobile market.

From a developer's perspective, SQL Server CE requires a minimum of 1MB of memory for installation and supports most data types and relational features of the full version of SQL Server. Developers can also embed SQL Server CE with Windows CE .NET into devices. This is a powerful way to collect real-time data while disconnected from the network. Merge/replication features automate the syncing of data with enterprise SQL Server databases users reconnect to the network.

STATUS: SQL Server CE is a mature product and has been in the marketplace for some time.

.NET Speech

One of the more interesting technologies Microsoft is actively working on is .NET Speech. The technology is based on the industry standard Speech Application Language Tags (SALT). The technology is delivered as a set of ASP.NET controls that enable speech-based Web applications and an add in for Internet Explorer. For the mobile market, developers can use the technology to build speech-enabled Web sites that will make interfacing with small devices simpler.

A potential scenario for using speech technology would be for use on Pocket PC PDAs. The user could open Internet Explorer with the speech add-in and access a speech-enabled Web page. The user would then speak into the PDA and have speech processed with appropriate actions taking place. Speech is a much more natural input mechanism for PDAs and other small devices that make typing and writing tricky.

STATUS: Beta.

Supporting developers

True to its heritage, Microsoft is focused on supporting the mobile development community. It has a Web site targeted at supporting mobile device developers (see the Resource Link section). This Web site provides technical details, access to SDKs, and other useful resources for empowering mobile development with Microsoft tools and platforms.

As part of this effort, Microsoft has also launched an initiative called Mobile2Market. This program lotuses on certifying Pocket PC and Smartphone applications. Applications certified by Microsoft will carry a certification logo guaranteeing it runs on Microsoft mobile technologies. The benefit is the ability to access the Microsoft marketing machine to bring exposure to the certified mobile applications.

Extending the Microsoft power base

Microsoft's push into the mobile market is advancing on a number of fronts. It's following industry standards and trends for most of its initiatives and innovating in a few areas such as the smartphone platform and speech processing.

From a developer's perspective, Microsoft provides a wide range of Windows-based tools for developing for the mobile market and significant development support resources. From the user's perspective, technology options continue to proliferate, with many of them powered by Microsoft technology and software built on Microsoft tool sets.

There's no doubt Microsoft is focusing on the mobile market and intends to extend its domination of the PC to mobile platforms.

MOBILE BUSINESS BENEFITS

Microsoft's role in the IT market has been one of "validator" as opposed to "innovator." Even though you won't see a lot of new technology from Microsoft, it is pushing to make existing technologies ubiquitous for the consumer.

RESOURCE LINKS

For more information on all of these technologies check out the following URLs:

Pocket PC 2002: http://www.microsoft.com/mobile /pocketpc/default.asp

Windows CE .Net: http://www.microsoft.com/windows /Embedded/ce.NET/evaluation/default.asp

Smartphone: http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/smartphone/default.asp

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.asp

Handheld PC: http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/handheldpc

.NET Mobile Controls: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/nhp /Default.asp?contentid=28001370

.NET Compact Framework: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/device/compactfx.asp

SQL Server CE: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/CE/default.asp .Net Speech: http://www.microsoft.com/speech

MOBILE2MARKET: http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/developer/developerprograms /default.asp

Mobile Device Developers: http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/developer/default.asp

Noel Jerke is an author and independent consultant with a broad range of experience managing information technology and developing software solutions. His clients have included the American Diabetes Association, Martha Stewart, and the Air Force, [e-mail].