FUSION: Microsoft eyes wireless opportunities
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Focused on pursuing wireless computing opportunities, Microsoft plans to expand its vertical industry offerings in the health care and finance industries over the next year, according to a company official. Microsoft is positioning its Smartphone and PocketPC Phone 2002 platforms as key weapons in its wireless communications arsenal as part of its mobile drive, said Juha Christensen, corporate vice president of Microsoft's mobile devices division, speaking on Saturday at the Fusion 2002 partner conference. "This is a fantastic call to action," he said.
At the center of Microsoft's wireless efforts is its Visual Studio.Net platform. The company is focused on including wireless devices in its .Net computing vision, Christensen said. Key to Microsoft's wireless product efforts are its Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition and its forthcoming Smartphone software platforms for wireless devices. Both support data and telephony, although the Smartphone resembles a cell phone more closely than Pocket PC, which is run on PDA devices.