Microsoft Corp. continues to play in the wireless arena in fits and starts, as the company quietly released a trial version of its Pocket MSN application after a delay of about six months.
Microsoft announced early last year it plans to release its Pocket MSN application, which the software giant said would give its Smartphone and Pocket PC device users one-click wireless access to its Hotmail, Messenger, Alerts and Maps programs. The company at the time said the service would be available by the end of 2003 beginning with T-Mobile in Europe.
However, Microsoft last week introduced a trial version of the Pocket MSN application on its Web site. The program gives users six free months of Pocket MSN access to Hotmail and other programs.
“Ultimately, Pocket MSN took a bit longer to deliver than we anticipated for a couple of reasons,” said Brooke Richardson, MSN product manager at Microsoft Corp. “First, the software is designed for Windows Mobile 2003 devices, which have recently become prevalent in the market. But the primary reason is simply the complexity of bringing mobile Web services to market. We believe there is a great opportunity here for operators and customers as we work to mobilize the millions of MSN Hotmail and MSN users via MSN Mobile and Pocket MSN. We’ve been working closely with operators to make sure the solution and services are the right mix for deployment.”
Further, T-Mobile in Europe has apparently shelved plans to sell a device running Microsoft’s Smartphone operating system. Both Microsoft and T-Mobile officials have in the past repeatedly declined to discuss the situation. T-Mobile in Europe does, however, sell devices running Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system.
Microsoft has faced a variety of challenges in the wireless industry, although the company has recently made major strides in selling its Pocket PC and Smartphone operating systems to device makers.
