Microsoft Takes RIM Shot

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced software that lets you use Windows to manage mobile phones as if they were desktops. System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 lets you deploy applications to phones, control security settings and carefully manage these notoriously tricky mobile devices. Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer made the announcement at the CTIA wireless exposition going on this week in San Francisco.

This is a direct shot at the market currently dominated by Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the insanely popular BlackBerry device and software. Part of Microsoft's goal for this fiscal year is to sell more than 20 million licenses to its Windows Mobile operating system. There will be new phones that support SCMD Manager 2008 coming out early next year from Palm, Motorola and others.

For its part, RIM has been incessantly boosting what the BlackBerry can do beyond simple voice and text messaging and e-mail. The mobile landscape is shaping up as the next big battleground.

Do you use Windows Mobile? Do you use a BlackBerry? How will you reconcile using both once it becomes more feasible? What's your mobile strategy overall? Catch up with me and let me know at [email protected].

Posted by Lafe Low on October 24, 2007


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