Microsoft pushes into BlackBerry market

A new software module in Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 platform will see the software giant making a play for the direct push messaging market, a space currently dominated by the popular BlackBerry wireless e-mail device
The Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) will be released with Windows Mobile 5.0, the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system which was launched last month. The software module will also be released together with the launch of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), due out later this year.

The new MSFP will enable enterprises to push out e-mail messages to an employee's Windows Mobile-enabled device as soon as they arrive in the company's mail server, said Jason Lim, Microsoft's regional director for Asia-Pacific and Greater China region, in an interview with CNETAsia.

No additional middleware is required, as long as the company runs Exchange 2003 SP2, he added. This means that users no longer have to rely on SMS (short messaging service) to notify them of new e-mail messages. However, the "pull" option is also available to users who still prefer to retrieve messages in their own time.

This new offering moves Microsoft more squarely into the turf of Research In Motion (RIM), one of the strongest players in the direct push market. Last month, RIM announced it had a subscriber base of 3 million for its BlackBerry wireless devices worldwide.

When asked about the impending competition from Microsoft, RIM's Asia-Pacific spokesperson Katie Lee, said in an e-mail reply: "BlackBerry supports Microsoft Exchange, as well as IBM Lotus Note and Novell GroupWise. These are three major messaging platforms in the enterprise world.

"There are a lot of areas that we cooperate with Microsoft. O2 in the United Kingdom has enabled BlackBerry e-mail on their XDA II (PDA phone), which is a Window Mobile device," she added.

Lim acknowledged that Microsoft's new software module will offer customers more choice in the direct push messaging space, but stressed that the software giant's primary goal for the MSFP is to encourage existing Exchange customers to upgrade.

There are over 120 million Exchange users worldwide today, only 20 million of which are on Exchange 2003, he noted. "We're hoping that this (MSFP release) will drive these (20 million) customers to upgrade to Exchange 2003."

Lim added that the MSFP will include a range of capabilities such as enhanced security features and more user-friendly functionalities. For example, the server can be configured to remove all data residing in a mobile device that is lost or stolen, after a pre-determined number of unsuccessful password login attempts.

Windows Mobile 5.0 with the MSFP is expected to be available on various mobile devices in the third quarter of 2005.