Companies to Collaborate on Reference Designs for Microsoft Windows Powered
Pocket PC and Smart Phone Devices Using Intel Personal Internet
Client Architecture
CANNES, France, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the 3GSM World
Congress 2002, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Intel Corp. announced that
they have formed an initiative to develop reference designs for personal
digital assistants (PDAs) and smart phones.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
The reference designs, based on the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Powered Pocket
PC and Smartphone 2002 software platforms and the Intel(R) Personal Internet
Client Architecture (Intel PCA), will promote the rapid development of
next-generation wireless applications and services for consumer and enterprise
market segments. In addition, this collaboration will enable wireless device
and software companies to expedite the market availability of their respective
mobile solutions.
As part of the initiative, Microsoft also announced its support for Intel
PCA, a development blueprint for building wireless handheld communications
devices that combine voice communications and Internet access capabilities.
"This exciting collaboration with Intel will provide large and small
manufacturers with a foundation for quickly bringing powerful, Windows Powered
mobile devices to market," said Ben Waldman, vice president for the Mobile
Devices Division at Microsoft. "Ultimately, we're striving to bring down the
barriers to entry for device manufacturers and paving the way for a market
explosion of innovative, smart devices at low cost, which will benefit
customers, carriers and the industry at large."
"As the wireless handset industry integrates data, the combined solutions
of Intel and Microsoft will enable wireless devices and applications to
effectively become part of the enterprise environment at global businesses,"
said Ron Smith, senior vice president and general manager of the Wireless
Communications and Computing Group at Intel. "Wireless device manufacturers,
software developers, service providers and consumers will all benefit from the
expertise that Intel and Microsoft bring to the wireless industry."
Today there is no standard design platform in the wireless industry to
speed the development and deployment of wireless devices and applications.
Each device or application is created in its own environment. The Intel and
Microsoft reference designs will allow developers to build from a standardized
platform, ensuring that high-quality products are designed and deployed in a
timely manner. The development of the reference designs are under way, and the
designs will be introduced to the industry later this year.
About Intel PCA and Intel's Wireless Building Blocks
Intel PCA has been developed to accelerate the design and deployment of
next-generation cell phones, personal digital assistants and other wireless
Internet devices, as well as the services and applications that will make
these devices attractive to end users and telecom service providers alike.
Intel PCA provides a solution for faster development of these applications and
services by separating the computing and communications functions and allowing
applications to be written to a general-purpose microprocessor.
Key components for Intel PCA include processors, such as the Intel(R)
StrongARM* processor that powers Pocket PC-based PDAs and the newly introduced
Intel(R) PXA250 applications processor, as well as baseband chipsets and flash
memory.
About Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PC 2002
Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PCs, the next-generation PDAs, can offer
customers the best way to connect to their most essential information while
away from their desk, yet are versatile enough to satisfy the personal needs
of today's busy mobile consumer. Pocket PCs already include a broad range of
native business, personal productivity and entertainment applications, and can
easily be expanded to adapt to each customer's changing needs through a
continually growing number of industry-standard hardware and software add-on
options.
About Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphone 2002
The Microsoft Windows Powered Smartphone 2002 software delivers a personal
and powerful mobile phone that enables customers to communicate via voice and
text and access their most essential information, any time and anywhere.
Familiar and powerful software coupled with a small, sleek form factor
including brilliant color displays set Windows Powered Smartphones apart from
others on the market. Smartphone 2002 provides a wealth of services, such as
secure corporate data and Web access, e-mail, up-to-date PIM functionality,
and multimedia capabilities, on a high-quality mobile phone.
About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of
computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about
Intel is available at http://www.intel.com/pressroom/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services
and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company
offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people
through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
NOTE: Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.microsoft.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, 1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
CONTACT:
Daniel J. Francisco of Intel,
+1-916-356-0546, or mobile, + 011 49 172 820 4741, or
daniel.j.francisco@intel.com; or Pamela Santos, +1-503-443-7000,
or pamelas@wagged.com, or Rapid Response Team, +1-503-443-7070,
or rrt@wagged.com, both of Waggener Edstrom for Microsoft Corp.
NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional
information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at
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information pages.
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