Microsoft Looks Beyond the Desktop

With the launch of Vista, Microsoft is likely to keep its dominance on the desktop intact, but the company's fresh focus on mobility could help boost its share in the wireless market.

Microsoft recently disclosed details about Windows Mobile 6, which will be formally introduced at the 3GSM telecommunications conference in Barcelona next week. Major advances over earlier versions of Windows Mobile include better security, more accurate search capabilities, and more desktop-like functionality, replete with the ability to edit Office documents.

Analysts are saying that the new features in Windows Mobile 6 are part of a larger effort by Microsoft to show a stronger presence in the mobile world. Although the company is king of the hill when it comes to desktops, with Windows being run on the majority of the world's PCs, the market leader for smartphones is still Symbian.

Mobility Minded

Just this past November, Symbian claimed to have hit the 100-million mark -- with its operating system now powering that many smartphones in circulation. As Microsoft tries to catch up to Symbian on mobile devices, the company also has been putting more emphasis on boosting its mobility features in general, said IDC analyst Al Gillen.

"Mobility is clearly one of the areas that Microsoft has focused on in terms of Vista," he said. "They've added security that focuses specifically on wireless, like issuing reminders to users that are using an unsecured network."

Gillen said that, in building Vista, Microsoft has done a good job in making the system better at meeting mobility demands. "People with laptops will notice the new mobility functions when they use Vista," he said.

And with the introduction of Windows Mobile 6 -- which will offer a Vista-like interface -- Microsoft could garner the attention of enterprises that do not already use Windows Mobile. Forrester Research analyst Ben Gray said that there are several distinctive new features in the latest version of Windows Mobile that might prove to be a strong draw for such companies.

Wipe Down

Most notable among these features, said Gray, is the ability for users to lock or wipe the data from a device remotely. Although some devices offer this functionality already, Gray said, it usually has to be handled by the I.T. department. Putting the power in the hands of users could cut down on I.T. support time and be particularly compelling for small businesses that do not have I.T. departments.

"Being able to erase data or lock the device from your PC is a huge benefit for the I.T. department," said Gray. "It sounds like a minor feature, but it's going to be a big selling point. People leave their devices in places like cabs all the time."

Windows Mobile 6 also offers easier management in terms of security, he added. The new OS enforces stronger passwords and better encryption, and devices can be configured to update security certificates whenever they are connected to a network.

"Microsoft has made many small improvements, and a few big ones that make the overall user experience much nicer than previous versions," Gray said. "That's going to be noticed by enterprises in particular."