Ask Microsoft

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Q: VGA screens seem to be the wave of the future for Pocket PCs. Is that perception accurate? Why is it useful to place a high-resolution display on a physically small screen?

A: Enhanced displays such as VGA on Windows Mobile devices allow for richer, clearer images and thus enhance the end user’s experience. Toshiba recently introduced the e800, the first Pocket PC with VGA capabilities. We expect to see many more exciting new devices and form factors, including those with high-resolution VGA screens, landscape mode capability, and much more.

The Toshiba e800 is the first Pocket PC capable of displaying full VGA.

Q: We’re seeing more Pocket PCs with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability built in. Is this wireless overkill, or do you see a real need for this kind of device?

A: We’ve long recognized that Wi-Fi, a popular standard for wireless local area networks (LANs), is rapidly becoming a preferred standard for accessing high-speed Internet connections. We think customers who value the ability to browse the Web, access wireless services and applications, stream video and music, and send and receive e-mail on the go will appreciate Wi-Fi capabilities in some Windows Mobile-based devices. Wi-Fi connections can be made up to about 300 feet away from a Wi-Fi “hot spot” (wireless access point). In response to growing demand for connected devices, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 2003 software platform offers an easy Wi-Fi experience that allows the device to automatically detect and connect to Wi-Fi networks, and also provides native support for Bluetooth as another option for wireless connectivity.

The ASUS A716 is one of a growing number of Pocket PCs with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability.

We’re seeing customer demand for Windows Mobile-based mobile devices that can connect to Bluetooth-enabled printers, headphones, and other devices. Bluetooth technology allows customers to print documents, listen to music via headphones, and much more, without cables. Bluetooth is a short-range (30 feet) networking specification that provides a wireless, point-to-point “personal area network” and can also connect a mobile device to a Bluetooth-enabled phone or laptop that’s connected in turn to the Internet via Wi-Fi, for mobile connectivity.

The excitement around the introduction of the Motorola MPx Smartphone and the popularity of the Dell Axim X3i, the HP iPAQ 4150, and the HP iPAQ 4350, all of which have both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, is a testament to consumer demand for both technologies.

Q: How important is entertainment to Microsoft’s continuing mobile devices strategy?

A: Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software is designed to help customers blend their work and personal lives on one device by keeping them connected to information, people, and entertainment. In addition to providing access to contacts, calendar, and e-mail, Pocket PCs and Smartphones give customers the ability to access streaming music and video from news, movie, and entertainment Web sites while they’re waiting to board an airplane, to share photographs while traveling, and to buy and play games on the go, as just a few popular examples.

Prototype of the Portable Media Center, based on Microsoft’s specifications and manufactured by Creative. For comparison, the landscape oriented display measures 3.7 inches diagonal, slightly larger than the 3.5 inch display found on most Pocket PCs.