“It’s all about end-users”

Phillip Swan, vice president, OEM Embedded Sales at Microsoft spoke to Prashant L Rao on where Pocket PCs and Smartphones are headed and Redmond’s plans for embedded computing

What makes Smartphones unique and how do they fit into Microsoft’s overall product mix and plans?
Smartphone is a misnomer, it would be more accurate to call the device an Outlook phone. It’s a phone with really good support for Outlook. My Outlook phone has 5,000 names in the contact book. HTC Taiwan makes them and Samsung is launching these phones next month with Verizon. These devices have 16 to 32 MB memory, a Secure Digital (SD) slot for additional memory or storage. Soon you’ll find a camera built into the new form factor and in the next couple of months clamshell capabilities will be added.

430 million mobile phones were sold last year and 600 million are expected to be sold by 2007 of which 200 million are projected to be Smartphones. Service providers handing out Smartphones increase their ARPU per month by 20 to 30 percent.

How much of the code you write for Windows XP makes its way to Windows CE?
The protocols [from Windows XP/2000] have been optimised for a real-time OS and the code size has been reduced. We are starting to incorporate more applications [from XP]. Windows CE can be as small as 200 KB. However, if you want the full GUI functionality then you need 8 MB. The .NET compact framework is just 1.1 MB on Windows CE vs 23 MB on Windows XP.

India is ramping up on the embedded front. What is Microsoft looking for in this country in the embedded space?
For us, India is all about developers—primarily software design and application designers creating enterprise applications on Microsoft devices that enable the enterprise experience. Our key partners include Wipro, Sasken, TI, Motorola and Intel. Some projects that are being worked on here include rugged handhelds for the enterprise market that can be dropped from five feet onto concrete and continue to operate. Automotive, retail and cash register are other key applications.

What’s new with Windows CE?
Windows CE lies at the core of our device strategy. The operating system and its associated compilers, platform builder and APIs let enterprises write once and run on any Pocket PC or Smartphone. Our toolkit lets you build components to test your software before the hardware is ready. We have added greater componentisation, IPv6, USB 2, WiFi and Bluetooth support as well. We are also very focused on wireless.

Embedded technology companies tend to focus on end-users of their OEM partners? Does Microsoft follow the same strategy?
It’s all about end-users. We are developing devices with certain scenarios in mind. One is of mobile information workers who want to be productive even when on the move or in a plane or in the airport. Another is the line of business application in SMEs. People in SMEs tend to rely heavily on their mobile devices. Then you have IT professionals who want the best form factor, network administrators at Spice or Airtel carry the coolest Bluetooth handsets.

We aim at four tiers. Tier I consists of Pocket PCs and Smartphone. We don’t know which device format will succeed—data with voice (Pocket PC phone) or voice with data (Smartphone). Tier II comprises of remote desktops—Windows for smart displays. ViewSonic and Philips are the OEMs here. There are some interesting form factors in this area. Tier III consists of Windows CE for the automotive segment, being used by companies such as BMW, Citroen and Toyota. Tier IV consists of general purpose, real-time systems that don’t need an UI—industrial process controls and medical systems.