Windows Mobile 6 hits NZ

Windows Mobile 6 has come to New Zealand, with both Telecom and Vodafone launching all new mobile models to promote the new platform which use mobile versions of familiar Microsoft applications like Outlook and Windows Live.  According to Microsoft’s media release, Windows Mobile 6 is the only mobile solution that allows users to view HTML as well as plain text emails, so messages are received the way the sender intended – with pictures, tables and live links.  For business users, the options of storage card encryption and enhanced PIN strength make mobile phones and PDAs equipped with Windows Mobile 6 a safer and more practical option.The release of Windows Mobile 6 coincided with Telecom’s launch of its new mobile brand, OKTA on 1 November.  The OKTA range currently comprises of three phones, with NZ’s first TouchFLO mobile phone being the range’s crowning glory.  Telecom’s GM of Consumer Marketing, David Craig, said that the OKTA Touch ($799) was the first mobile in New Zealand to launch with Windows Mobile 6, and is a particularly important addition to Telecom’s range given the buzz overseas around ‘all-in-one’ touch screen devices.Craig went on to say that having a Windows Mobile 6 operating system means the OKTA Touch brings the functions normally associated only with a PC to a mobile, including email, automatic synchronisation with an Outlook calendar, and the ability to edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents at the tap of a finger.Within five days, Palm launched the Palm Treo 500v on the Vodafone network.  The new smartphone allows users to view documents in their standard Microsoft application format, and the Palm Treo 500v can be used as a modem for a laptop, so users can stay connected anywhere within wireless coverage areas.While the Palm Treo 500v is not for the mainstream market, Olivier Rozay, ANZ Country Manager for Palm, stated that, “The positioning is for a broader audience and will attract many first-time smartphone users.  Affluent, highly mobile users and small businesses will appreciate the easy deployment.  It is a good fleet device for small companies.”The Palm Treo 500v ($749) will be available exclusively through Vodafone for several months, while the OKTA range will remain a Telecom, and New Zealand, exclusive.