Motorola pledges support for Windows Mobile in the handset division

Despite evidence and rumors to the contrary, there's been some talk the past couple weeks that Motorola is as committed to Windows Mobile as ever -- but until now, that talk has been based largely on a Computerworld piece quoting Moto's vice president of marketing for mobile enterprise computing (does that even fit on a business card?) as saying that the company's enterprise group "remains 100% committed to Windows Mobile." That's all well and good, but the Mobile Devices group -- the group that makes the phones we care about -- is its own beast with its own agenda; it has virtually nothing to do with the Enterprise Mobility Solutions guys that make the ruggedized handhelds you might see your delivery guy using. It's entirely plausible that one could continue to thrive on Windows Mobile as a staple platform while the other abandons it altogether, especially considering that Moto would still like to spin off the handset group eventually.

Now, though, we've got a new angle: Moto "spokeswoman" Maya Komadina is saying that even in the face of layoffs within the company's WinMo team, the Mobile Devices group "continue[s] to focus on Windows Mobile as one of our software platforms, and there are teams working on Windows Mobile development at other facilities." Thing is, you've pretty much got to say something to that effect when you're in the process of launching a flagship device powered by Windows Mobile, even if you're quietly winding down operations behind the scenes and ramping up the Android peeps in their stead. We're not saying we'll never see another WinMo phone out of Schaumburg without weather sealing and a barcode reader on it -- but by the same token, we're not yet convinced that the day of reckoning isn't far off.

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

Read - Computerworld talks enterprise
Read - IDG says Motorola still in the Windows Mobile game

[Gibson Posted Jan 28th 2009 10:02AM]

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