Windows Mobile attacks messaging market with several new devices
After the first attack of Nokia addressing the Blackberry form factor in their E61 and E62, Windows Mobile attacks both Nokia and Blackberry with their new Motorola Q, HTC Excalibur, Samsung i320 and Palm Treo 750v.
Devices with QWERTY keyboards are pulling up everywhere. Messaging is hot and Blackberry can become a hot item for the mobile market we are living in these days. Keeping in contact with our relatives via SMS, MMS and mail has become one of the most simple things in our daily life.
A lot of devices have already been addressed in relation to this daily activity. Examples are the Palm Treo series and the slide keyboard concepts from HTC, such as the Qtek 9100, T-mobile MDA Vario and Orange SPV M600.
Now a new phenomenon comes up showing the market devices with build-in keyboards that are placed below the screen. The screen is placed in a landscape direction. Some examples of this new devices are the Nokia E61, Samsung i320, Motorola Q, HTC Excalibur and Palm Treo 750v.
The Nokia E61 is already on the market and a great success, but it is only Symbian device in this format. The Sony Ericsson M600i is quite comparable but uses a touchscreen input which makes it a different story. The new Samsung i320 is a Windows Mobile smartphone and will be shown soon onto the European market. The Motorola Q is already out in the states, but will also be shown in Europe within several weeks. The device was thought to be cancelled but will be introduced by Motorola soon. There is a market for it in Europe, so introduction is a logical step.
The new HTC Excalibur and Treo 750v are new devices not yet introduced. The HTC Excalibur will be shown within several months and will hit the market before the end of this year. The device is only a couple millimeters thicker than Samsung's i320 and two millimeters shorter. Furthermore it is a quad-band device and it will also be Wifi enabled. There is an innovative touch jog strip. You can clearly see this strip on the right side of the screen. Sliding your finger down on this, and it scrolls down, slide up and it scrolls up. Touch the top to activate the Start menu, or the bottom to go back.
The Treo 750v is something else and based on the old Palm version the Treo 650 and the Windows Mobile version Treo 700 which is available in the United States. Vodafone will introduce the Treo 750v without external antenna to the european region.
"Palm® Treo™ smartphone will be an industry first using Vodafone’s high-speed network and delivering Palm’s ease of use on top of the Microsoft Window’s Mobile ® operating system - all backed up by Vodafone’s dedicated service for business. Wireless push email. The package includes the option of real-time, wireless push email using Microsoft’s Messaging and Security Feature Pack available on Windows Mobile 5.0, with Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features."
One major drawback for these devices is the rotated screen resolution, which makes it harder to use available software on the devices. The fact that all devices are not equipped with a touchscreen make is harder to scroll through the text and data. However, when more of these devices emerge it will more important for software developers to change their software and make it compatible with these new devices.
The market of messaging devices will grow in the upcoming months. Blackberry capabilities will be introduced more widely around the european markets. Windows Mobile will create these possiblities around their own operating system and Microsoft Exchange services. Symbian devices will have an open system in which mulitple programs and services are supported such as Blackberry Connect, Nokia Business Center IBM Websphere, Oracle Collaboration Suite, 24 Access, Seven Always-On Mail, Visto Mobile and Microsoft Exchange
The upcoming months will decide which brand system will preveal. Windows has a strong position but lacks an open system of multiple possibilities. Also the amount of devices is widely spread around four to five brands. Symbian only has one major brand Nokia showing a strong series of devices; the E-series.
For more information on any of the new devices go to the brand pages or use the "go directly to" function. When more information is available about the Treo 750v or the new HTC Excalibur you will read it here on NewMobile.
Source 1: MSmobiles
Source 2: Coolsmartphone
