Microsoft to Attack RIM with Magneto

An anonymous reader writes "At this week's Mobile and Embedded DevCon (MEDC) in Las Vegas, it's anticipated that Microsoft will finally unveil 'Magneto', widely expected to be dubbed Windows Mobile 2005. Magneto is rumored to merge the Pocket PC and Smartphone versions of Windows Mobile into a single platform that combines smartphone and PDA capabilities. Consistent with that strategy, Pocket Office will reportedly be renamed Office Mobile, with other key apps similarly redesignated Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and Outlook Mobile."

Comments

Let me get this straight

[Quattro Vezina]

They're using an old X-Men villain to fight RIM?

Re:Let me get this straight

[FidelCatsro]

In an incredibly geeky style here i go ... magneto was not really a bad guy , He was the one who ultimatly stoped Apocolypse allowing Bishop to resotre the proper timeline and saving the world from the Nuclear holocost...
Magneto was more of a anti-hero he was really good but just a bit hardline due to the mistreatment of mutants.

So i guess this shows us that microsoft thinks of its mobile devices as mistreated mutants who will save the world from Apocolypse ...

To attack with Magneto?

[oberondarksoul]

Professor X unavailable for comment.

Re:Wow

[fireboy1919]

Well, given the name, I expect that they'll be able to generate powerful magnetic fields and hatching nafarious plots. Apparently, Microsoft feels that the human demographic is no longer a viable source of income, and therefore must be wiped out to make way for the Homosuperiors.

Not, cooler, but it keeps with Microsoft's corporate vision, "be more evil each day."

I've been waiting for this to happen

[Anonymous Coward]

Blackberry is a great product. Not quite mainstream enough to be interesting to the 'big boys'. RIM isn't big enough to fight off Microsoft. If Microsoft decides to take a loss on this for a while then RIM is toast just like WordPerfect and Lotus.

Too bad. RIM just got through fighting, losing and paying for a patent law suit. Yet, I don't think all the patents in the world will protect them from Microsoft.

Re:I've been waiting for this to happen

[whistl]

I used a rim two way pager for years, and the things that will prevent macro$loth from taking much of this market with pocket pcs:

- short battery life
- large heavy unit
- crappy keyboard
- no vibrating pager alert.

A busy rim pager can last nearly a whole month on 1 AA battery. They are tiny and light. That little chicklet keyboard is easy to use.

People don't mind keeping them on their belt, and can discreetly use them at meetings (we used to refer to that position as "the BellSouth prayer"). It's not going to be as easy to do that with a big chunky pocket pc. Bosses will quickly get pissed off when the everyone in the room gets a message, and 16 different "wav" files start playing.

In other news...

[Stormwatch]

...Stan Lee sues Microsoft.

Re:RIM

[Jemima's Witness]

What do they call employment at RIM?

Re:Great

[mobby_6kl]

Shut the fuck up already. Every cellphone-related story has a few idiots like you bitching about modern technology, while ignoring the fact that every major phone manufacturer has an extensive lineup of budget phones with black&white or greyscale screens and almost no extra (useless) features. They aren't going to turn into Windows Mobile smartphones overnight. Go buy a $60 new phone and quit complaining.

Mobile what?

[zappepcs]

I wonder ... some things have managed to make a very strong market share out of something or invention that was not understood, or had shaky legal basis in the past. Like was said here, what is the market (in units) for PDA's? What is the market for hand-size mobile computing?

There are several companies out there that keep hammering away at this market (even though it is not very big or profitable) and eventually, we will all become unimpressed with phones that don't have calendars, address books, do text messaging etc.

I guess that my point is this: does anyone see where this is going? Can anyone accurately predict what protocols, air interfaces, and file format standards will end up winning in this (now) mobile free for all?

I predict that the sheer size and market control that M$ has will play more than a significant role in this. To the point that I think anti-trust laws should be used to address anything M$ becomes involved in.... more or less. Not that I have any real fear that Excel will become a useful mobile application anytime before Cray starts making PDAs'

There are currently so many competing wireless interfaces and protocols, I don't see how anyone getting into the game can imagine they will make money unless they believe that they will be able to manhandle the market place and simply be able to metaphorically bludgeon the competition to death.

RIM started small, and with what I think was a sound business model. As they make their move into the more consumer oriented marketplace, it is a shame that they will have to fight M$ just to get in the game...

My real fear is that in the future you won't be able to get a phone without windozeXX on it, or be able to use any air interface not supported by M$ pocket-mobile-crap software.

I know that sounds a little defeatist, but I don't see any strong competition to M$... sigh

Re:Mobile what?

[glesga_kiss]

eventually, we will all become unimpressed with phones that don't have calendars, address books, do text messaging etc.

Nope. There is and always will be a huge market for basic phones. They just don't make slashdot front page.

Can anyone accurately predict what protocols, air interfaces, and file format standards will end up winning in this (now) mobile free for all?

I'll bite. Well, they all have mail and web access, so they are fairly standard, use IMAP for your mail of course. Files get stored on SD-cards, which is a standard format. Notes are txt files. Emails in the inbox are stored in a unique way, just like every other mail package on the planet (with the exception of direct-access stuff like Maildir of course). Recorded audio is plain wav with a choice of codecs.

The only thing that you might actually have to export manually would be contacts and schedules. Both can be dumped to XML IIRC. I've helped people export data from a variety of phones, and these things are very open compared to others it has to be said.

Thing is, I can't think of an alternative office are appliction that encompasses shedules, contacts and tasks in an easily workable format, and allows synchronization between mobile devices. I'd be happy to use one if it existed, but hate it or not, Outlook is actually very well featured. That's half the problem here; the competetion isn't all that much of a competion. Yet.

My real fear is that in the future you won't be able to get a phone without windozeXX on it, or be able to use any air interface not supported by M$ pocket-mobile-crap software.

Sure, lack of choice bites, but I wouldn't go so far as to say "pocket-mobile-crap software". Have you actually used one? Personally, I think they are the dogs bollocks and there is nothing else as good as them on the market right now. Zealotry aside, that's all that matters.

Re:Great

[BristolCream]

You shut the fuck up. I'm also of the camp that beleaves that a phone is, and should remain, a phone.

Listen, the simple fact is that unless a new interface is brought out that changes how we can use our phones, then 'features' such as 3g will remain expensive white elephants.

We've had video phones in the uk for years now, and no one uses them. Yet we are still pitched the service by dogged companies who's managment cannot accept or admit that they spent billions on dead in the water lisences.

Battery will make this unrealistic

[duffer_01]

The key reason why RIM has been so successful is because of their network architecture. RIM has the capability to trickle emails down to a device. Since the device is always connected to the network they have the ability to constantly receive these messages. The way the PocketPC devices are built they are not meant to be always connected to a network and if you did you would likely only get about 4-6 hours battery life. When you compare that to > one week for a RIM device there is no comparison.

I do like that Microsoft is making an alternative to the BlackBerry, I do not think that they will be much competition for RIM unless they build a network architecture like RIM's and they look into the battery life issues.