The lead article for this issue is a report on some of the new Windows Mobile devices on display at the 3GSM World conference, which took place in Barcelona this March. Of the 14 devices discussed in the article, only one is a basic Pocket PC. The rest are either Phone Edition devices or Smartphones—so called "convergent devices" that blend PDA and mobile phone capabilities. You can still expect to see "plain-vanilla" Pocket PCs hit the market, but from here on out, the big growth will be in the Phone Edition and Smartphone areas.
The future of Windows Mobile was on display in Barcelona: Phone Edition devices with TVs, Smartphones with FM radios, super-fast broadband cellular networks that support streaming video and audio, integrated GPS, and smaller, thinner, and sexier devices. As one online writer phrased it, "it was Windows Mobile heaven."
Existing users of the Pocket PC shouldn't worry too much. Phone Edition devices are—first and foremost—Pocket PCs. Third-party software developers will continue to update existing titles and release new titles for the Pocket PC platform. But they will also devote resources to the Smartphone platform, porting over existing titles and creating new ones for it.
We take a pretty thorough look at VoIP, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and related issues in this issue's special wireless section, and most of the section relates to Pocket PCs, Phone Edition devices, and Smartphones. This issue has a minor focus on accessories, and again, most of the products discussed are available for a variety of Windows Mobile devices. That's even true for the games and software programs we discuss in this issue, as well as many of the tips and how-to's.
The Enterprise sector is a little different. We've yet to see a ruggedized Windows Mobile Smartphone, but we are starting to see vertical niche Pocket PC Phone Edition devices. One of these, Symbol's new MC70, has just about every technology under the sun built into it, including a GSM/GPRS phone. And our Medical Editor discusses how Palm's new Phone Edition device, the Windows Mobile Treo 700w, is well suited to healthcare professionals.
Finally, our publisher, Hal Goldstein, attended 3GSM World this year and reports on it in his Pocket View column. He's bullish about the future of the Smartphone because they're small, stylish, easy to use, and inexpensive. Couple those features with the rapid expansion of wireless broadband networks and change is in the air. The next few years will be a challenge to developers and wireless carriers. But the consumer should have a lot of fun!
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