May/June 2005

Native support for GPS, support for higher-bandwidth 3G mobile phone networks, Wi-Fi support for smartphones, support for hard disk drives, and easier one-handed operation - these are among key features of the new version 5.0 of Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, which was unveiled in May.

The new features should start to appear in Windows-based handheld terminals in the coming months. Handheld computer manufacturers are already pledging support for the new system - among them Dell, which is offering upgrades for some existing PDAs, and Intermec, which has announced two new handheld computers, including the innovative modular CN30 (see separate story).

Windows Mobile takes in the whole range of Microsoft's CEerived mobile computing platforms, which cover anything from PDAs to mobile phones.

Different elements of the new specification will be seen in different variants. For instance, Wi-Fi support has been added to smartphone versions, opening up the intriguing possibility of handling data or even voice communications with mobile phones over wireless local networks.

 

There is also enhanced support for Bluetooth local wireless networking, making for more seamless links to other devices. The fast USB 2.0 interface standard is also now supported, and enhanced security is introduced with support for Bluetooth authorisation and end-to-end encryption over a virtual private network.

The hard disk support suggests a convergence with desktop products using the full Windows OS, although it being is promoted more as a means of allowing large amounts of data to be stored and shared with external computers. Nevertheless, better support for QWERTY keyboards could also pave the way for more applications that would more traditionally have been the preserve of the desktop.

Yet another feature reminiscent of the desktop world is "persistent memory", which basically means that applications are now loaded into fixed ROM memory, not RAM, so should be retained intact even if the battery runs down. Microsoft also says overall device efficiency could mean as much as 30 per cent more battery life.

Pocket Office applications have been rebranded, and are now referred to as Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and so on. File format handling is said to have been improved, and there is a new application, PowerPoint Mobile, for creating presentations on the move. These can be displayed in either portrait or landscape mode.

And if you're thinking in terms of consumer appeal, there's a new and much-enhanced Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, with extended abilities to synchronise music and media with external devices.