Microsoft Introduces Microsoft Mobile Explorer

New Mobile Phone Platform Based on WAP and Other Key Wireless Initiatives Provides Comprehensive Solution for a Range of Wireless Phones

REDMOND, Wash. -- Dec. 8, 1999 - Taking another step toward empowering people through great software any time, any place and on any device, Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft® Mobile Explorer (MME), the company's comprehensive, open software platform designed to power Internet-enabled mobile telephones. Microsoft Mobile Explorer is modular, customizable and flexible, enabling handset manufacturers and wireless carriers to provide their customers with the choice of a broad line of applications and services on today's data-enabled telephones (or "feature phones") and next-generation "smart phones." Microsoft Mobile Explorer is a key component of Microsoft's end-to-end wireless strategy to provide mobile Internet solutions that utilize additional technologies such as Microsoft Exchange Server, the BackOffice® family and MSNTM Mobile Services.

"Microsoft's goal is to enable secure information access any time, anywhere, from the device of the users' choice," said Harel Kodesh, vice president of the Productivity Appliance Division at Microsoft. "Today's launch of the MME platform combined with Microsoft Exchange Server and MSN Mobile Services represents a significant step forward in delivering on that promise through mobile phones."

"With this new platform, Microsoft is demonstrating a clear commitment to the work of the WAP Forum" said Gregory G. Williams, chairman of the WAP Forum. "Now Microsoft will be incorporating WAP technology into three core components of its wireless solution: Microsoft Mobile Explorer, Microsoft Exchange Server and MSN Mobile Services. This announcement is another major milestone for the WAP Forum and validates the wireless industry's support for WAP."

Microsoft Mobile Explorer is currently being used in the United Kingdom and Norway by British Telecomunications PLC, for corporate customer trials and is under evaluation for current and future networks by Korea Telecom Freetel Co. Ltd. and DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom MobilNet GmbH. NTT DoCoMo has also expressed strong interest to deploy Microsoft Mobile Explorer-based mobile phones in its networks.

Modular Solution

The Microsoft Mobile Explorer platform is a modular wireless applications and services platform that allows partners to pick the solution that best fits their needs using one or more of the following components: a dual-mode microbrowser, the Windows® CE operating system, applications and server-side components. Microsoft Mobile Explorer is designed to deliver wireless data services such as secure corporate data access, e-mail, the Internet, location-based services and electronic commerce. The following initial configurations will be supported:

• Microsoft Mobile Explorer for feature phones is an operating-system-independent, air-link agnostic, browser-based solution that enables secure corporate or personal access to e-mail, personal information manager data and the Internet when connected to a wireless network. It includes the first dual-mode microbrowser that can display both HTML- and WAP 1.1-authored Internet content.
• Microsoft Mobile Explorer for smart phones is designed to support more powerful wireless data computing on high-resolution display devices that are capable of running a full suite of online and offline e-mail, PIM and Internet applications. Microsoft Mobile Explorer for smart phones, which was first demonstrated by Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates at Telecom 99 in Geneva in October, will utilize a version of the Windows CE operating system specifically optimized for mobile phones. This will enable services including over-the-air data synchronization, hosting of third-party applications and receipt of new multimedia content delivered by third-generation broadband wireless networks.

Both the feature phone and smart phone solutions of Microsoft Mobile Explorer will be able to take advantage of current and emerging wireless technologies such as Short Messaging Service, SIM Toolkit and Bluetooth technologies.

Availability

Components of the Microsoft Mobile Explorer family will be delivered throughout next year beginning with an initial release of Microsoft Mobile Explorer for feature phones in the first quarter of 2000.

More details on the Microsoft Mobile Explorer platform are available on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/wireless/default.asp.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, BackOffice, MSN and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries/regions.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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