Windows Mobile to Get Outlook Syncing

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced several upcmoning enhancements to Windows Mobile 5.0 on Monday, which the company hopes will put it on more equal footing with services offered by Research in Motion. With the update, Outlook Mobile will now be able to sync directly to Exchange Server without any additional software or equipment.

Windows Mobile 5.0 launched last month at Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2005 in Las Vegas. The release introduced persistent memory, which will retain data even in the event of battery depletion, as well as better security features to ensure that the recent spread of smartphone viruses do not make their way into Windows Mobile devices.

Outlook information such as e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks will be "pushed" directly to the device by Exchange Sever. Also, support has been added to give mobile users access to full contact information of users within a company's global address book. According to Microsoft, this was the feature most requested from partners.

The move to shore up Outlook's mobile capabilities is a direct response the success of RIM's BlackBerry unit. While it may have taken BlackBerry over six years to reach the 3 million customer mark, it will only take moments for 130 million Outlook users to have access to the same features - as long as they have a Windows Mobile device.

The question remains, however, if companies will look to Windows Mobile in the future. The operating system has taken a beating in the smartphone market, and has a single-digit usage share, far behind market leaders Nokia and Symbian.

According to internal research, 80 percent of Exchange users were checking their e-mail through a Web browser. Microsoft said they used this as a gauge for demand for the upgrade. Analysts say the new features could help to spur growth for the company and make it a more viable choice in the smartphone market.