Microsoft fixes Windows Mobile synch problem
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InfoWorld - Microsoft has fixed a problem that made it difficult for users of the most recent Windows Mobile devices to synch with PCs running Vista.
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The third-party widgets platform with Microsoft ties will ship with Windows Mobile phones, thanks to a renewed partnership with Microsoft.
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Microsoft plans to announce beefed up remote Windows Mobile phone management capabilities with the introduction of System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 on Tuesday.The software will allow IT administrators to remotely secure and manage mobile phones much the same way they manage PCs and laptops, said John O&#39;Rourke, general manager of Microsoft&#39;s mobile communications business.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer planned to make the announcement during the opening speech at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco.IT administrators using Mobile Device Manager will be able to remotely do things like turn off a phone&#39;s camera and prevent the use of unauthorized messaging services. That&#39;s important for companies that must comply with regulations requiring them to record information sent from employee devices, O&#39;Rourke said.Mobile Device Manager integrates with Microsoft&#39;s System Center so administrators with that software can use the existing active directory and group policy feature to disseminate policies. For example, an organization may already have a set of policies for a group that contains field sales people so an administrator can choose to set mobile policies for that same group, pushing out changes to all of their Windows Mobile phones at once.The software also supports secure access to corporate information through VPN (virtual private network) connections. That allows phone users to access files that may be behind the corporate firewall and it also lets them use Web-based applications that reside on the corporate intranet, O&#39;Rourke said. Some companies may have internal Web-based expense reporting forms, for example, and the secure connection means that Windows Mobile phone users can use those forms from their phones.Mobile Device Manager comprises client and server software. Windows Mobile users will need to update their phones with the software. That process can happen a number of different ways, including requiring users to connect their phones to a PC and install the new software. Microsoft is working with device makers and operators to coordinate the update, similar to the way that they worked together to update devices to&#160;Windows Mobile 6.0&#160;from the previous version of the software. AT&amp;T is expected to announce at the conference how it will update devices on its network, O&#39;Rourke said.Once phone users have the software, they&#39;ll need to connect to the corporate network and log on before an administrator can start remotely managing the device. That&#39;s a one-time process, similar to one that corporate workers often go through when using a new laptop, he said.Microsoft expects to release System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 in the first half of next year, O&#39;Rourke said. The server software should be able to support as many as 5,000 users, although it&#39;s not complete so the exact number hasn&#39;t been determined, he said.Windows Mobile 6.0 already offers some remote management capabilities. For example, an IT administrator can remotely wipe a Windows Mobile device in case it&#39;s stolen and manage passwords for the device, without Mobile Device Manager.Some Windows Mobile competitors also have similar remote management capabilities. Nokia&#39;s Intellisync device management offering, for example, allows IT administrators to remotely manage a variety of devices, including Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Palm phones, as well as laptops and desktops. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server also includes group-based remote administration and management functions. Microsoft&#39;s Mobile Device Manager will only manage Windows Mobile Devices.
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Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday issued a trio of software updates to fix security holes in Windows computers, including one flaw that hackers are using to infiltrate PCs equipped with a massive security upgrade the company released just five months ago.
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The Missing Sync for Symbian provides data synchronization for Mac users of Symbian smartphones.
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(InfoWorld) - For business users who want Microsoft Office on their cell phones, Windows Mobile 6, the upcoming version of Redmond's mobile operating system to be unveiled next week, will be a must-have upgrade. Mobile 6 comes with mobile versions of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. With the continuing increase in sales of smartphones at the expense of handheld devices, Office makes a lot of sense, especially for synchronizing with desktop files, according to Rob Enderle, principal at the Enderle Group. Carriers and handset manufacturers who believe they can put the limited memory and storage to better use, however, are out of luck. Microsoft Office still comes with Mobile 6. According to John Starkwether, a product manager in the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft, Office is part of the package. Starkwether conjectured that if a vendor really wants to exclude Office from the operating system, an accommodation might be possible. Additional upgrades to the mobile OS include Microsoft's Direct Push Technology with automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks, and contacts using Exchange Server. For security and management, Mobile 6 will also give mobile network managers the capability of remotely wiping out all data from a device should it be lost or stolen. Other security features include certificate options and storage card encryption. Business users will also be pleased with the inclusion of mobile versions of the .Net Compact Framework and SQL Server in order to access a company's standard line of business applications remotely. The Office applications are the most robust to date for the limited capacities of a cell phone. Spell checking in Word, though, is not included. E-mail viewing will be easier on the eye with formatting, tables, and pictures viewable as originally generated. One-click options for e-mail, such as "reply all", moving a message to a subfolder and "delete" have been added to accommodate the restricted functionality of a small device. Windows Vista users on the desktop will be able to swap music, pictures, movies and Outlook information between the Vista PC and the mobile device. Windows Live will integrate mail, messenger, search, contacts, and spaces. Call history is now placed inside the individual contact card. Enderle said that although there was "a lot of great stuff" in Mobile 6 Microsoft still has to focus on ease of use. "Compared to the Apple iPhone with its simplified interface, Mobile 6 is still complex to use," Enderle said. Devices with Windows Mobile 6 will ship worldwide in the second quarter.
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Microsoft has made the newest version of its mobile OS faster, sleeker and much more Vista-like than previous versions.
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LAS VEGAS  -   Microsoft and Ford Motor are adding emergency-call capability with no monthly fee to Sync - their joint, in-car wireless system that lets drivers control cellphones and music players with voice commands - in a challenge to General Motors' OnStar technology.
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Microsoft has fixed a problem with Windows Mobile Device Center that made it difficult for Windows Mobile devices to sync with Vista.
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Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O released on Tuesday a patch for its latest &quot;critical&quot; rated security flaw affecting its Windows, Office and developer tools software programs.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft's recently announced Windows Mobile 6 software for smart phones is a step forward for the company, offering some important improvements over previous versions of the software. But just how good is the new software? On Thursday, Microsoft offered me the chance to play with Windows Mobile 6 ahead of the 3GSM show in Barcelona, Spain, next week. The short demonstration, which took place at Microsoft's office in Singapore, was done using a currently available handset: the High Tech ComputerÂ (HTC) S620 smart phone. The S620, also known by its code name Excalibur, sports a small QWERTY keypad, a 2.4-inch QVGA (320 pixels by 240 pixels) screen, and support for GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks. Powered by Texas Instruments' 200MHz OMAP 850 processor, the smart phone has 128MB of ROM and 64MB of DDR (double data rate) DRAM. But enough about the handset used for the demonstration. What about the software? At first glance, Microsoft's attempt to make Windows Mobile 6 look more like Vista has resulted in a better-looking piece of software, with a new font and a cleaner overall appearance. But the most important improvements to Windows Mobile 6 aren't cosmetic. For starters, Microsoft has added the ability for users to search e-mails and other information stored on Exchange Server 2007 from a smart phone. Windows Mobile 6 also allows users to configure their push mail settings and out-of-office notifications directly from their smart phone, instead of having to use their PCs. Previous versions of Windows Mobile for PDAs allowed users toÂ view Office documents, and that capability has now been added to the smart phone version of the software. In addition, users can now edit their documents. That feature may be useful for some Word and Excel documents, but I have a hard time believing anyone will be using Windows Mobile 6 to edit, or even view, PowerPoint presentations. The screens on these types of devices are just too small for this to be practical. Other improvements to Windows Mobile 6 include offering more information about the people on your contact list. Start typing the name of a contact, say "John" for example, and Windows Mobile 6 brings up a list of contacts named John. Clicking on any one of these names brings detailed information about the contact, including different phone numbers and e-mail addresses, as well as information about your last call -- or missed call -- with the contact. Microsoft also improved the browser and instant-messaging functions in Windows Mobile. For example, you can send text or voice messages to your MSN contacts, while chatting with several contacts simultaneously. If a contact doesn't respond, you can also send a "nudge," which causes the user's phone to vibrate, letting them know that they've received a message. Apart from these features, what struck me most about Windows Mobile 6 was its speed. The software seems much faster than previous versions. Applications opened instantly, without making the user wait. Overall, I was impressed by the newest version of Windows Mobile. Previous versions did not appeal to me, but the improved speed and added features mean Windows Mobile 6 is worth a closer look if you're in the market for a smart phone.
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Microsoft is backing a new company that will help enterprises design, deploy, and manage Windows Mobile phones and services.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft Corp. said it has boosted the security mechanisms built into its newest mobile phone operating system, responding to the needs of business customers who will use the phones to access sensitive corporate data. One new feature inÂ Windows Mobile 6.0, the latest version of the software introduced on Monday, allows users to remotely wipe their device if it's stolen. Via a secure connection to their corporate Microsoft Exchange server, users can remotely delete content on the phone, including data stored on a removable storage card. Previously, only an IT administrator could schedule a remote wipe, said Marianne Roling, director of mobile embedded devices for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Microsoft, atÂ the 3GSM conferenceÂ in Barcelona. In addition, Windows Mobile 6.0 supports Windows Mobile Updates, a new policy similar to the security updates sent to PC Windows users. If a mobile virus surfaces, Microsoft will build a fix and work closely with operator partners who will send a message to users informing them that there's a security update. The message will ask users to approve the update before downloading. Most such security updates would be small files but it's up to the operator to decide if they'll charge end users for the bandwidth required to download it, said Roling. "If you are a customer of Vodafone and all your company's data is on your phone, guess how your customer loyalty will improve if Vodafone provides you with this." So far, few viruses have targeted mobile devices and those that have surfaced have failed to become widespread. However, mobile industry experts worry that as more users buy smartphones and begin downloading more online content, hackers may begin to target phone users. Microsoft's update service could work even for individuals who buy an unlocked phone independently of their operator, she said. That's because the operator can often detect remotely what type of phone the user has and so would be able to identify Windows Mobile users. Windows Mobile 6.0 also supports some new rights management features. Now, users will be able to view e-mails that are sent with protection that allows recipients to view but not print or forward the messages. Previous versions of the software prohibited users from reading such protected e-mails, said Roling.
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Cat out of the bag 3GSM Windows Mobile 6.0 is out! Well, at the least, the secret of WM 6 is out. Microsoft was today frantically trying to deny its heroic efforts to keep the next generation Windows smartphone hidden from NewsWireless - but the cat was out of the bag even before the Tribune newspaper blew the embargo, because of the enthusiasm in VoIP circles for the new OS.â¦
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Microsoft is announcing an upgrade of Windows Mobile. But a Gartner analyst called it "an interim release" that doesn't fix all of the problems in the existing version of the operating system.
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Microsoft has announced a version of their digital rights management platform geared specifically for mobile content.
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Blog: Yahoo IM fixed after temporary problems