At&t And Microsoft Unveil Their Latest In Mobile Technology
This year’s International CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment trade show in San Diego saw the unveiling of several great products, but not many had gotten as much attention as the new releases from AT&T and Microsoft.
The major telecom carrier unveiled two brand new smart phones: the Tilt 2 - set to release within the next month for $299 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year contract - and the Pure, which costs $149 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year contract. Both smart phones were designed and created by HTC Corp. with the addition of Microsoft Corp.’s new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.
Since the emergence of Google, Apple and Palm mobile operating systems, WinMo 6.5 is widely considered Microsoft’s first step toward regaining the prominence that the three major competitors have diluted over the years. After acknowledging that they have fallen behind their competitors, and despite the excitement generated around WinMo 6.5, Microsoft is anticipating that next year’s release of WinMo 7 will re-launch the company back among the big players in the mobile world.
WinMo 6.5 was designed with the intention of winning back the users that had grown frustrated with Microsoft operating systems, and as a result had made the switch to the iPhone. The new software includes a marketplace to rival that of the iPhone’s App Store for downloading and purchasing programs, a feature that has grown to be a staple among mobile systems.
While designing WinMo 6.5, Micrsoft made a conscious effort to focus on sensitive and precise touchscreen controls as opposed to stylus navigation, a feature that Microsoft has so heavily focused on over the years that they briefly lost touch of the others. Another direct focus with the new operating system lead to the creation of the My Phone service, which allows users to remotely track their smart phones and/or delete any necessary data should the owner misplace his/her mobile device.
While AT&T receives tons of recognition for its exclusive rights to sell iPhones in the US, the major telecom player recently revealed in a statement that they are one of the biggest supporters of Windows Mobile.
"As one of the first carriers to support Windows Mobile 6.5 in the U.S. and the largest distributor of Windows phones worldwide, AT&T has a long history of leadership in smartphones and Windows Mobile," said Michael Woodward, AT&T's vice president of the mobile phone portfolio, AT&T Mobility and consumer markets, in the statement.
