From the start, the device formerly known as Mira seemed to be on a collision course with Microsoft's Tablet PC, which will debut on Nov. 7. While a Tablet PC is actually a fully functional PC, a Smart Display is just an add-on flat-panel monitor that wirelessly connects to an existing PC. TROUBLE IS, Smart Displays look just like the slate-styled tablets. Had both products hit the market within weeks of one another, that similarity would almost certainly have caused mass confusion among consumers. In fact, Microsoft partner ViewSonic is expected to launch both a Smart Display and a Tablet PC--a marketing train wreck just waiting to happen.
Microsoft is publicly insisting that not only does the Smart Display delay have nothing to do with the Tablet PC launch, but the extra time is not being used to address any of the other problems with Smart Displays--and there are several.
Microsoft and the European cellular carrier Orange this week introduced the first cellular handset running Microsoft's new Smartphone software. The announcement, in London on Tuesday, means the much awaited and frequently delayed devices will soon be on shelves across Britain and the Continent. America won't see the phones until sometime in 2003--hopefully earlier rather than later, but Microsoft isn't offering specifics. This is too bad, because the new Orange Smartphone SPV's feature set and aggressive price--about $275--should make the rest of the industry take notice.
Microsoft's .NET development platform received boosts this week from Visible Systems, which is providing a code-generation tool based on modeling, and ClientSoft, which is enabling the integration of mainframe programs with .Net environments. Visible announced Visible Developer 3.0, which works within Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net platform to automatically generate 90 percent or more of the business logic and database access code directly from an application model, the company said. Version 3.0 adds support for Visual Basic .Net, the latest version of the programming language, and eases the transition to it, according to the company.
A start-up formed by a group of Dell Computer visionaries has high-end aspirations for tablet PCs. On Nov. 7, Austin, Texas-based Motion Computing plans to unveil its tablet-style computer that will offer more deluxe features than competing machines, according to CEO Scott Eckert.
The company's M1200 will contain an ultra-low voltage 866MHz Pentium III, with between 128MB and 1GB of memory, and a 20GB, 40GB or 60GB hard drive. The device's 12.1-inch screen is expected to be larger than many competing devices' displays; also, the weight of the three-pound machine will be evenly balanced, making it easier to use as a writing "tablet," Eckert said.
Regardless of whether you like Microsoft Corp.'s software or business practices, there's one thing the company consistently does right: hardware. Whether it's game pads, joysticks, keyboards or mice, the company has a well-deserved reputation for building devices that are easy to use, rugged, featured-filled and precise. Microsoft released seven new products this fall: one wired and one wireless optical mouse, a tiny optical mouse for notebook computers, one regular and one "natural" split-design keyboard and two wireless desktop mouse-and-keyboard combo sets.
Weakness in the online advertising market has been greatly exaggerated, Microsoft said Wednesday, on the eve of a major overhaul of its MSN Internet service. "We're on a monster roll," said Yusuf Mehdi, the corporate vice president overseeing Microsoft's MSN division. "This is the best-kept secret in the industry, which is that the online ad industry is alive and well and actually kicking butt for a number of companies out there." For the 2002 fiscal year, which ended June 30, MSN's online ad revenue grew $40 million, he said. Between June 30 and Sept. 30, it jumped 40 percent.
AT&T Wireless said Tuesday that its plans to make available Web-enabled smartphones running software from Microsoft in the United States in the first half of 2003. Similar phones go on sale in Europe this month. The announcement comes alongside a variety of news from Microsoft and its hardware, software and service provider partners regarding Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 software, which made its official debut at a London event Tuesday. Also, Samsung Electronics unveiled new handsets it is building that will use Microsoft's phone software. It will be one of four devices that Microsoft is showing at the London event, the company said.
The first Windows-powered Smartphone to hit the high street will be Orange's SPV, offering picture messaging and desktop connectivity. Orange on Tuesday unveiled the details of its upcoming Smartphone, the SPV, which will be the first Microsoft-powered handset on the market when it arrives early next month. The handset aims to combine consumer-friendly features such as an attachable camera and MMS (mixed-media messaging) with Windows software integration along the lines of Microsoft's Pocket PC-based handheld computers.
The SPV made its debut at the same time as Sendo's long-anticipated Z100, also based on Windows Powered Smartphone software. The Z100 has many of the same features, as well as add-ons such as Java support, and will carry a somewhat higher price tag when it hits the market late this year or early next year.
Microsoft is looking for Internet access partners in Europe, Middle East and Africa to forge distribution relationships for the forthcoming launch of its subscription-based Web browser MSN 8. The U.S. software giant says its strategy to partner ISPs, which will be asked to bundle MSN 8 in their Internet access packages, will bring its loss-making MSN unit into the black. MSN 8 will come equipped with a spam email filter, parental controls, digital photo editing software and an enhanced web browser, the company said.
"This is yet another move toward making the Internet a pay zone," said Kai Kaufmann, an Internet analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, who was given a briefing on MSN 8. "I think Microsoft can succeed."
One day before Microsoft is set to release the latest version of its MSN Internet access software, rival America Online (AOL) said Wednesday that its new 8.0 software has set download records since it launched last week, setting the stage for an all-out battle between the two Internet service providers (ISPs).
AOL, the current market leader with over 35 million members, is faced with numerous challenges, not the least of which is to prove itself financially fit in the face of increasing scrutiny from both investors and its parent company AOL Time Warner (AOLTW). Meanwhile, Microsoft is sparing no expense in its effort to gain ground in the ISP market, where it is currently in second place with 9 million users. And the Redmond, Wash., software giant's seemingly bottomless coffers will no doubt play in its favor.