Microsoft has drawn back the veil on its wireless access strategy
and announced wireless access software for Exchange Server and more
details of its smart phone specification.
Eric Doyle.
Wireless Knowledge, a company jointly owned by Microsoft and
wireless communications specialist Qualcomm, has released Workstyle
Server 3.0 to allow mobile phones and PDAs to access Exchange
Server 5.5.
Eric Schultz, chairman and CEO of Wireless Knowledge, said, "The
message that this alliance delivers to the market is clear: mobile
access to business information is safe, secure and available
now."
The new software opens up real-time, remote access to Exchange's
e-mail, appointments and contact information over any data-enabled
wireless network, regardless of the markup language used.
Workstyle is classified as a "designated" technology, which
means it will become a key technology within Exchange. To this end,
Wireless Knowledge and Microsoft have announced they will be
working together to integrate wireless connectivity into future
releases.
UK prices have yet to be announced but in the US Workstyle
Server costs $10 (£6.50) per person, on a monthly subscription
basis.
The announcement ties in with Microsoft's Stinger smart phone, a
specification for a wireless phone with PDA capabilities. Stinger
will be based on the WindowsCE operating system for handheld
devices and will handle Web pages in HTML or Wireless Markup
Language.
The smart phones are expected to go on sale for the Christmas
market and will be joined next year by more powerful models, which
will add more-interactive features through links to Microsoft
Outlook and Exchange Server.