Microsoft announces new mobile IE

Microsoft’s new mobile Internet Explorer will bring mobile phone users’ web browsing experience inline with that of their desktop computer.

Inspired by the iPhone and responding to demand from consumers for a better mobile browsing experience Microsoft announced today that it will soon release a version of its Internet Explorer web browser guaranteed to make mobile web browsing as easy as internet browsing from your desktop.

With Apple recently coming away with several brand excellence awards and yesterday scooping the pool as the brand that has had the greatest impact on people’s lives (according to a reader poll on broadchannel.com) Microsoft is on the back foot when it comes to meeting consumer needs (broadchannel readers also named Microsoft as the brand they’d most like to revamp).

Microsoft unveiled their new Internet Explorer Mobile software yesterday in the hopes that mobile phone providers will begin adopting the service on new phones slated for the last quarter of this year.
Microsoft planned to introduce the browser at the CTIA conference in Las Vegas. It also introduced an updated version of Windows Mobile, version 6.1.

According to Microsoft the update includes a new zoom capability that allows users to view an entire Web page or picture and zoom in up on a portion of a page. It also features a new Getting Started Center aimed at making it easier to set up e-mail, Bluetooth peripherals and Wi-Fi on the phones.

New notifications on the home page of the phone of missed calls, upcoming appointments and new messages will allow users to see such updated information at a glance.

Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft Entertainment Division believes “People want a single phone that’s flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it’s connecting to work or your everyday life. The innovations we’ve added to our Windows Mobile software ultimately make it easier to manage your world.”

Microsoft hopes the move will broaden its consumer appeal and help them compete with popular devices such as the Blackberry with its mobile push technology.

Reported by Cec Busby

Sources: Info World and It News and The Age