Microsoft Reorganizes Mobile Division, Focuses On Windows Live Services

[Adama D. Brown]

Microsoft has recently reorganized its mobile technology division, putting a greater degree of emphasis on marketing and exposure for its "Windows Live" online services.

Referred to by Microsoft as its "Mobile Communications Business," the new group architecture creates two main "planning and product management" subdivisions of the mobile unit: Platform, for Windows Mobile and associated software, and Mobile Services, for the Windows Live brand and offerings.

The MCB will also contain the top-level "Partner and Segment Engagement" and "Campaigns and Communications" teams, which will span both Windows Live and Windows Mobile.

Not Dependent On The Platform

While Windows Mobile is Microsoft's favored venue for pushing Live service offerings, the company has also been expanding areas outside the Windows Mobile world. In August it announced a deal with semi-competitor Nokia to get Windows Live onto that company's S60 and S40 based phones, despite the fact that some of those devices compete with Windows Mobile based units from Microsoft's licensees.

A Google Connection?

Some observers have suggested that the increased focus on Microsoft's online services is part of gearing up to compete with search and service giant Google's current mobile-friendly offerings, or the mobile operating system that Google is reportedly prepping. However, these OS reports remain unconfirmed, and Microsoft has made no comments to suggest that the move is a result of current or anticipated competition in the services market.

Related Articles:

• Google Phone Not A Phone, But an Operating System?
• Microsoft Patents New Interface For Mobile Devices
• Microsoft Updates Windows Live Mobile Search

Via ZDNet

 

[Antoine Wright]

Interesting move on MS's part. But to a good degree, they will always be very dependant on their OS side of things. What the key will be them making those beautiful (sarcasim) enterprise hooks something that floats well to other aspects. For example, the Office Live run is a good idea. If they can make it work with WM devices seemlessly, then they have a better chance of making Windows-as-a-service a better moniker in the hands of users. Just emulating Google is a setup for problems on so many levels.

[Fixup]

MS poured huge bucks into that stupid MSN, now they finally learned: the success of google is due to nothing but a clean front page. Is it too late? Why such a simple thing took them so many years to figure out?

Just open www.live.com, you'll see it is just another google. Why I would go live? It might take MS another many years and billions of billions dollars to figure out.

This copy cat of google is got to loose.

Let me remind you, MS: what made you win over Netscape? The Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Now make something better than Opera Mini and Gmail, then you are guaranteed to win the mobile battle.

[Konrad Pierce]

You might have to go live simply because as time passes, Microsoft's products will cease to function unless you install the whole package. Microsoft doesn't depend on MSN, Live, Mobile, Office, or Windows to generate income - it depends on generating revenue from the "bundle" you're forced to accept in it's entirety if you want any of the individual components to work. Each new Windows OS, browser, media player, mobile technology, word processor, spreadsheet, "front end", "back end", or "server" application Microsoft releases becomes ever more interdependent on all of Microsoft's other software architecture.

WM is a perfect example - take it all together or don't get anything. Each new WM version forces the user and application programmers to work more and more the way Microsoft thinks we should.

The process is accelerated by Microsoft's increasing reluctance to provide support or updates for older products. It's already well past the point where each new software release is designed with a specified service lifetime before it's phased into obsolescence. Wouldn't be so bad, I think, if MS actually provided real improvements on each product revision ... but I just haven't seen it improve "my" experience anywhere near as much as "Microsoft's" experience in the way I use my computers.

Just my thoughts.