New Version of Windows Mobile

Crossbow will be the successor of Windows Mobile 5.0 and will incorporate many new features like Office 2007, instant messaging for public and private network, Exchange 12, spreadsheet and email application.

After the Windows Mobile 5.0 release, in May 2005, Crossbow will now have two serious competitors on the market: Symbian and BlackBerry.

Microsoft hopes to nudge BlackBerry aside on costs and convenience for administrators. The company estimates an enterprise-deploying mobile e-mail with 20,000 users could save $1.5 million in software purchases alone, plus additional costs on licensing over BlackBerry.

Pieter Knook, Microsoft's senior vice president for the mobile devices and telecoms sector, did say that his company tries to keep updating Windows Mobile every year. That's a hint that Crossbow might be officially unveiled at the Microsoft Mobile & Embedded DevCon (MEDC), coming up next month.

Mobile operating systems are complex to implement since some operators must adjust their billing systems to accommodate new services. The success of Crossbow will depend on Motorola Q, a BlackBerry-like smart phone, with a full QWERTY keyboard running on Mobile 5.0.