Microsoft is preparing for us coming

Say "computers", we mean "Microsoft", right? So, anyway, believe most of our contemporaries with you. If the market will change, just as now (ie, Palm will take place), soon it will become true for handheld computers. Learn than it is now in the mobile computer giant is busy, what are the plans for the future, we helped Gold partner of Microsoft, the company "Quarta Technologies. - To begin, please say a few words about the company. How and when it was created, as you become a gold partner of Microsoft, why engaged in mobile development? - Initially, the company is "Quarta", formed in 1993, is developing a program for the accounting of the presidential administration, while another Yeltsin. In 1996, the company has grown into a group of companies (there are, say, "Quart - sensor technology" that deal with decisions based on sensor technology and touch screens). We - Quarta Technologies. Accordingly, since 1997, was immediately embarked on to become partners of Microsoft, a company engaged in e-commerce, selling software, solutions. And in 2001 the company came here and I have a new direction - unit was set up mobile development. I myself have a 1996 doing various Windows CE-cars and decisions. This trend is well served as the general direction of the company, and now occupies a quite respectable place in the overall structure. - And what the company is engaged in addition to mobile development? - There is division, which sells software, mostly from Microsoft and the companies that produce extensions and additions to various products Microsoft. In general, sellers and distributors. Another division has been developing business systems and e-commerce. And the third - we. - How do you become a partner of Microsoft? -Partnership with Microsoft was a strategic decision at the dawn of the company. "Quarta" became a partner of Microsoft, even in 1997 - Microsoft Certified Partner (if it was called Microsoft Solution Provider) - provider of solutions based on products and technologies from Microsoft. In 2000, the company has become - a gold partner of Microsoft. Since my arrival and the creation of a new trend appeared statuses Windows Embedded Partner, Mobile Solution Provider, and more. - Everyone knows that you do localization, but certainly also has other "mobile" projects ... - Well, the localization of not more than perhaps 20% of our business and in fact it is a much wider area - is the development of new devices. We are working with several OEM-producers, both Russian and foreign. For example, with all the known major Russian manufacturer of mobile devices Rover Computers Group. About Western can not speak, there is a problem. There is agreement that all the public appearances we are only together, so do not tell you. There is talk about the development of devices, firmware, drivers, different system applications ... - But the "hardware" we are not talking? - Sometimes, along with the developers of hardware, we solve the problem "at the crossroads." Tells developers how to efficiently and accurately solve a particular problem. - Where to start work on localization? - Well, let's say ... Our company has employees who were engaged in localization of all, when Microsoft released a Russian Microsoft Word 2.0 (PC). So in terms of localization, we have very experienced staff. As for mobile products, the first system of containment, which was made under my direction - "Russian Launch", ie Russian version of Windows CE 2.0-2.12. This product has not been packaged option for specific machines, this product is limited to OEM-producers, in addition to the development environment, Microsoft Platform Builder. - And why you did not pursue Russification Mitac Mio? - Why? We have made it. Question again in the strategy of our work. There are OEM-manufacturer, which built on this platform to produce the machine, for it Russification was made. - Can we call this OEM-manufacturer? - I think the problem is not here, this Rover Computers. - What is now engaged in projects especially in the area of ​​localization of handheld devices? Do you plan to deal with a new Mitac 338? - It is titled Mitac, definitely not.But based on or nearly on the basis of this model, several companies make their cars, some of them we work. Generally, there will be many different machines for different manufacturers, but understand that the Russian language and Russian markets, we do not limit ourselves. For example, an order for our technology from a European OEM. So I can, for example, show car, which nobody has ever seen and that has a chance to appear in Russia, although its target market - Latin America. We have developed for it all from scratch. - You - a gold partner of Microsoft. Does this mean that all such developments will be linked solely with the Pocket PC platform and future products of this company? - In fact, the situation is as follows. At this point, it is our priority platform ... Although for some reason, they forget that Microsoft has yet another mobile embedded system, called Windows XP Embedded. This is not an ordinary Windows XP, there is the same as the Windows CE component development environment. True if Windows CE itself "lives" on a heap of different processors, the Windows XP Embedded runs only with x86 processors, and allows you to create solutions that best approximate the functions of Windows XP Professional. But again, this is a separate development environment, and so on ... With her, we also work very hard. - Are there any "live" device on this operating system? - A lot! They were even in our country enough. We have one partner from Peter, who, for example, POS systems on it does. The OS Microsoft is positioning between the various Windows CE-devices, servers and desktops. It is designed for different classes of computers, from gaming consoles and finishing devices to authenticate to the network structures. Roughly speaking, where the need of some protection, work with multiple users, there is Windows CE gives up and runs Windows XP Embedded. Well, for example that the X-Box'e, this sort of derivative of Windows XP Embedded (plus multimedia extensions, plus the expansion of gambling). The requirements for this operating system a little more, the minimum version of the kernel is 30 MB, but at today's prices on flash-memory is quite possible to afford a full version of the kernel is almost the same as "a desktop" version of Windows XP. - Who does not like you asking about the future plans of Microsoft's mobile OS. When will the machines on the Windows CE 4.1, when the new version of Pocket PC? - By itself, Windows CE 4.1 is already there, OEM-producers can do on her PDA, but the Pocket PC based on it and never will be. The new Pocket PC will be built on a new kernel, which is still code-named McCendrik, I do not know how he will be called: 4.2, 5.0 ... This will be further developed line of 4.0, 4.1, and it will also be available as a Platform Builder for developers as 3.0. But in general, with the shell, and applications will be called Pocket PC 2003, Pocket PC 2004 or something like that. As far as I know, they still own about the name not exactly solved. - And some terms are known? - OEM-producers at the next CeBIT, is likely to show prototypes of machines, and by the end of summer to autumn, such PDAs have already appeared for sale. OEM'y will receive software for prototyping somewhere in January or February to March to the prototypes were ready. - What, in your opinion, is caused by the failure of Smartphone 2002? Because we all know of a case with Sendo, which is a long, long agony, collected, but as a result refused to release the smartphone OS maykrosoftovskoy ... - It is hard to evaluate ... I can only express my personal opinion. In my opinion, there are several reasons. First of all, not a very good concept. She is too weighted phone, but gave no significant functionality. It seems to me closer to the ideal Pocket PC Phone Edition. And secondly, rendering the unwillingness OEM-manufacturers. In my dialogue with representatives of several Taiwanese manufacturers of mobile devices (namely, there is most of the machines) found that there are problems with the supply of processors that are powerful enough to pull the Smartphone 2002, and the other would consume too much energy. There is criticism on the work of power management, in general, a lot of "okolotehnologicheskih" problems. Roughly speaking, it turned out that the requirements of OSes and the possibility of bad hardware interfaced with each other.As far as I know, Microsoft is conducting a very active "work on the bugs, and most likely will be some new platform. The situation will be something like a Pocket PC. Now inside the Smartphone 2002 is spinning Windows CE 3.0, but with the transition to the new kernel, along with the Pocket PC 2003 (let's call it so) will be designed Smartphone on the same core. It's easier for developers - a single API, the portability of programs ... - There is some public information about the "mobile" plans for Microsoft? - Soon to be released is another pretty big update for Pocket PC 2002. It relates to the fact that in mid-December came the final release of Compact Framework, so he will be integrated into the Pocket PC 2002. Again, if this update actually appears to be strongly dependent on OEM-manufacturers. For example: update to Windows Media Player has been available OEM'am, if not mistaken, on August 14. But Compaq (ie HP) posted his November 29. Accordingly, between the output of update for developers and users is a lot of time. To reduce this gap all the time, Microsoft told partners, as necessary, as this is useful, in particular, corporate customers, it is important to release an update soon. With the Compact Framework to all lead such an example: an application that performs some business task (for example, fills the bill), running on the desktop, and immediately, without recompiling transferred to the mobile device and works there. Yes, it may be deleted some additional functionality, yes, you need to carefully use the zoom windows. But, nevertheless, Compact Framework - an opportunity to make an application that will work both there and here, retaining virtually 100% of investment in developing solutions. A related and a new distribution system for applications (for her we also had a hand), for example, through a network of mobile operators. Say, a mobile operator orders the development of an application, well, such as network games and toys then available as a phone or smartphone, and with desktops, and devices with Pocket PC, connected to a network. - What else in terms of mobile development deals with Microsoft? - Another area that we particularly engaged in this smart-displays, what used to be called MIRA. OEM, working in partnership with Microsoft, is able to adapt the system to their device in a fairly wide range. Each manufacturer their views about the functionality of the future devices, here we are dealing with such developments. - And how do you see the Russian market prospects of devices such as, for example, airpanel 100 from ViewSonic? - It is in this scenario, I slightly believe in its success, but in fact at the same ViewSonic is a model that fully meets the specifications Smart Display. It is, as far as I know, will deliver to the U.S. in late January and in Europe and Russia at the end of the first quarter of next year. And anyway, I think, in the corporate sphere more relevant Tablet PC. And in the home ViewPad, with its limited functionality, are also unlikely to take hold. People who can afford such a device, of course, have a computer and give them an opportunity to have a mobile monitor is most likely to be much more interesting. We tested several such devices. One simply amazed ample opportunities in multimedia. Say, the desktop turns DVD-movie, and you can lie on the couch and watch the movie on the wireless display. There's a magnificent 15-inch display with Touch Screen, and this device will be available to us, probably sometime in April. As for the name, his name while it is impossible, since there was no commercial advertisements of the product. I think you'll hear it themselves in the near future - painful problem neoptimizirovannosti Pocket PC 2002 under the new processor XScale. Microsoft will do something about it? - First, let us return to the story. Now the whole maykrosoftovsky software is maintained at ARM v4. In XScale running ARM v5.Estimates have been made that an easy transition from v4 to v5 gives meager performance gains, but it lost compatibility with StrongARM processors, and others like the same TI OMAP or Motorola MX1, with ARM-processors, Samsung, which is now actively trying to break into the market for Pocket PC devices (in the recently announced models of smartphones have options and XScale, and on its own processor). So Microsoft took a purely marketing decision. Again, pull the disparate platforms because of the very small performance boost ... especially when you can just cheat megahertz. - That is not even the optimization gives a significant gain? - Gain error correction allows the processor. I will not reveal a big secret (Intel, the truth may be offended), if I say that in earlier editions of XScale processors had problems with the work of cache memory. I explain. As we know, Intel processors have such a thing as a "stepping", that is practically processor version. In processors, as in all "okoloprogrammnyh" cases, there are mistakes. Due to some bugs in early versions of processors could not include cache memory mode writeback, which allows you to maximize productivity. Although again the time goes, the producers are working on the bugs and I've already seen the fall of the exhibition, like Hewlett Packard showed the new cars the 39th series, where it was noticeable performance gains, even compared to previous releases. And what about new? As far as I know, the entire 54th series processors is at least version C0 with bug fixes and will run even faster. Now producers are engaged in cooperation with Intel CPU-optimized video drivers and multimedia modules, which already allows increasing the speed of these machines without cheating megahertz and losses in energy conservation. To this end, Intel has released a special package of Intel Performance Primitives for the StrongARM processor family and XScale. - It was recently announced the release of multiple graphics accelerators for handheld ... Someone planning to use them? - Yes, already in full. I can show the machine, which uses the accelerator from MediaQ ... - This is who has the hardware is able to accelerate playback of DivX? - Well, it's unlikely ... there is only some functions of acceleration output video picture on screen [after a few days it became clear that this machine Rover PC P5 - Ed.]. In the Toshiba e740 accelerator built ATI Imageon, while there problemki with drivers and with the support of his functions in toys, but this is only a matter of time and established standards. In particular, the new Pocket PC, which will work on a new kernel, some functionality will be "desktop" 9 th DirectX. To be able to work quietly with accelerators. - That is Quake 3 on a handheld computer - is not out of the realm of fantasy? - No, this is not a fantasy, but relatively close reality. Almost all of the company's latest exhibition showed new accessories for the new Pocket PC, for example, such as different variants of mobile drive designed to play DVD. This raises the question of performance - we need new processors and new accelerators (the processor will read from a mapped drive and decrypt data, and the accelerator will display the image on the screen). But about the graphics accelerators in the budget typewriters should be forgotten. - Tell us about your project with Mobile TeleSystems ... - Actually, this project is Microsoft, we speak just as their partner. And accordingly, for detailed comments excellent contact Microsoft directly, but I can only say that this project can also try a solution for integrating enterprise information systems with the services of a mobile operator. As far as I know, connected to several corporate clients and all this hard test. The main thing that a corporate client receives - is mobile access to e-mail, schedules, calendars ... The test machines used by HTC (design, which is known under the brand names O2, T-Mobile) and Hewlett Packard H3970. With regard to commercial exploitation, I do now, I can not say yes and no right. I'd better tell you about another one of our project. We still have one, just have a massive project that is associated with cellular operators. It consists of different pieces, since getting a mobile device of various information data, ending with network games.In the near future for more information about this project can be found on our website www.pocketpc2002.ru. The authors, translation: