Microsoft and Vodafone are stepping up their development partnership to further improve Windows Mobile. In future, Microsoft will be working in close collaboration with the Vodafone Test & Innovation Centre in Düsseldorf from the development phase onwards.
The centre is 7,000 square meters in size and it has all the components of an ultra-modern wireless network, from base station through billing systems to multimedia platforms. The Düsseldorf test environment delivers the same capacity that a wireless network in Switzerland would require. The high-tech laboratory on the banks of the Rhine, where the Vodafone Group implements the majority of its international development projects, is the place where new hardware and software solutions for use in wireless networks are tested under realistic conditions - right up to series production readiness if necessary.

"Demand from Vodafone customers for Windows Mobile as an operating system for mobile phones and smartphones is on the increase. One of the main advantages of our partnership is fast times to market for new versions of the software in Europe. We achieve this by implementing tests throughout the development phase," said Friedrich Joussen, CEO of Vodafone Germany.

"Vodafone and Microsoft want to deliver an operating system for Windows Mobile users that leaves absolutely nothing to be desired when it comes to convenience of operation and range of functions. Smartphones are also growing in popularity with private consumers. We're planning to open up the market even further with Vodafone's help," said Achim Berg, CEO of Microsoft Germany.

The telecommunications enterprises profit from the competence and broad experience of around 150 highly specialized Vodafone engineers and technicians who work at the centre. Microsoft also uses Vodafone network technology at its US head office in Redmond.

Windows Mobile E-Mail from Vodafone enables customers to enjoy a direct push E-Mail service on the move. E-Mails, contacts, calendar entries and tasks are synchronized directly with the Microsoft Exchange Server. PowerPoint Mobile presentations can be viewed, and Excel Mobile and Word Mobile attachments can be opened, edited and forwarded. The mobile terminal has a user interface that anyone familiar with Microsoft Office will recognize. People who use PC E-Mail programs and have experience with Microsoft Windows will have no problem using the terminals, which means faster benefits for the company and higher employee productivity.

Windows Mobile E-Mail by Vodafone is easy to integrate in existing Microsoft Exchange Server solutions (version 2003 and higher). No further investments are necessary in additional servers or hardware, so Windows Mobile E-Mail is a reliable, cost-efficient and scalable mobile E-Mail solution.

Cheers ~ Arne