Can Symbian take on Microsoft in the enterprise?

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: KEITH SHAW ON WIRELESS COMPUTING
DEVICES
08/30/05
Today's focus: Can Symbian take on Microsoft in the enterprise?

Dear security.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Symbian OS posts impressive gains, targets enterprise
* Links related to Wireless Computing Devices
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Can Symbian take on Microsoft in the enterprise?

By Keith Shaw

Symbian recently released some numbers regarding its mobile
device operating system, seen mostly on converged mobile devices
- a.k.a. smart phones, devices that combine a mobile phone with
intelligent, PDA-like functionality.

The company says:

* Shipments of Symbian OS phones in the second quarter of 2005
  were three times as high as they were in the second quarter of
  2004, reaching 7.8 million shipments.
* More Symbian OS phones shipped in the first half of 2005 (14.5
  million) than in all of 2004.
* The worldwide Symbian OS installed base is now more than 39
  million phones.

Most enterprises in the U.S. have probably not heard much about
Symbian, the software licensing company that developed the
Symbian OS. The company was created in 1998 by Ericsson,
Motorola, Nokia and Psion.

Known mostly for consumer mobile phones, in the U.S. the Symbian
OS has 24% of the market for converged mobile devices, compared
with 21.3% for the Palm OS and 9.2% for Microsoft (both Pocket
PC Phone Edition and Smartphone OS are included in their
numbers). Worldwide, Microsoft takes second place, with 12.7% of
the market, compared to first-place Symbian's 55.9% and Palm
OS's 6.3%.

So why should you care about Symbian? Because of Symbian OS v9
<http://www.symbian.com/technology/product_v9.html>, which the
company launched in February. Devices with Symbian OS v9,
including Nokia's N91, will be launched to the world in the
second half of the year. Symbian says the new version
"implements a more robust security model to support enterprise
and network operators' provision of secure commercial services."
Enhancements include network service, device management,
communication infrastructure, Java, personal area networking and
application framework features. In essence, the Symbian OS will
be provided on devices that will appeal to business customers.

That puts them in the crosshairs of Microsoft, which has
business customers in its camp. Whether Symbian can make the
crossover from consumer phones into enterprise-class devices
will be the compelling story for the rest of 2005. According to
an IDC report, "Symbian, its stakeholders, and its licensees
clearly know how to build mobile phones for consumer
consumption, but legitimacy in the form of enterprise-class
devices, applications, services, and support is still lacking."

Microsoft will be helped in this space when it releases Windows
Mobile Version 5.0 (announced in May), codenamed Magneto (anyone
else think it's odd that they named it after a super-villain?).
The new version will move away from separate Pocket PC,
Smartphone and Portable Media Center platforms
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/about/tours.mspx> and
instead focus on different experiences (voice, data and
multimedia). IDC says that Microsoft "possesses an advantage in
the minds of enterprises considering mobility," given its
dominance in the computing world. As companies look to mobilize
their applications beyond personal information and e-mail, IDC
says that Microsoft should be in a good position.

For those who wonder about PalmSource as an operating system,
IDC is less than enthusiastic. "The platform is falling behind
its competitors in the race for consumer and enterprise
adoption," IDC says, and even though the PalmOne Treo devices
have captured attention, fewer than 1 million units sold in
2004, which represents only 5.5% of the converged device market.

According to IDC forecasts, by 2009 Symbian will control 59.4%
of the worldwide converged mobile device market, with Microsoft
Windows Mobile at 17.3% and Linux-based devices at 16.8%. The
Palm OS will be somewhere at about 3% market share in 2009, IDC
says.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile6046>

2. 2005 salary survey
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile4017>

3. Intel-Cisco deal may be big for Wi-Fi
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile6047>

4. VoIP season about to heat up
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile6048>

5. Cisco aims to simplify switch mgmt.
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile6049>

Today's most-forwarded story:

Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile6050>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Keith Shaw

Keith Shaw is Senior Editor, Product Testing, at Network World.
In addition, he writes the " Cool Tools
<http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html> "
column, which looks at gizmos, gadgets and other mobile
computing devices.

You can reach Keith at <mailto:kshaw@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avocent
Network World Executive Guide: Reviewing Trends and Insights for
SMB Executives

Life is different for IT professionals at small and mid-sized
businesses, which don't have the luxury of hiring legions of
network experts. Read how network executives are keeping a firm
footing on an ever-shifting product landscape. Learn about
trends and insights surrounding VoIP and VPNs; plus get
commentaries from leading experts on storage strategies for
smaller businesses.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=111813
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Wireless Computing Devices newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/mobile/index.html

Keith Shaw's Cool Tools:
http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/cooltools.html
_______________________________________________________________
Why wireless?

Learn about the key issues surrounding the use of wireless in
the enterprise.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=111544
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
IT STAFF SHORTAGE LOOMING

Outsourcing. Automation. Downsizing. The industry has been awash
in unemployed IT pros. But experts are now predicting an IT
staffing crunch is just around the corner, and the implications
for U.S. technology innovation are sobering. What might be
causing the shortage and what might need to be done to prevent
it? Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlmobile5863>
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