Microsoft released its latest incarnation of its mobile platform. However I hope this is the last iteration of the aging WinMobile 6 platform. The latest version gives end-users access to mobile applications like Facebook and Netflix through the Windows Marketplace.It will be interesting to see how Microsoft can control the security of its app store. It is not clear whether the vetting process will be as rigid as Apple or relatively lose like the Android app store.
On the enterprise front. the platform is tightly coupled with its enterprise software brethren like Exchange (with pushmail and calendaring) policy enforcement and remote wipe). Additionally it offers the ability to view (eventually edit) office apps including PDF. I was expecting better integration with the popular Sharepoint platform however that is not the case. A useful freebie is the ability to backup the mobile device using the MyPhone wireless backup utility, something Apple charges $99 using the MobileMe functionality.
Disappointingly there was no announcement regarding improvements to mobile search. You would assume that a company with access to resources like Bing, would implement a half decent search functionality on their phone …. Google has just released Android 1.6 (‘Donut’) that makes vast improvements to the search experience both on and off the phone. Even the Apple iPhone is also streets ahead when it comes to universal search using Spotlight.
All in all, Microsoft needs to follow this up with a more robust offering if it needs to stay relevant in marketplace. It will seriously need to revamp this with a more competitive architecture or risk losing out to the iPhone and Android, which are at least 1 generation ahead of it.
Securing the Mobile Enterprise 