Smartphone Thoughts: Talking with John Starkweather of MED Division at Microsoft - Part 1

Be sure to register in our forums! Share your opinions, help others, and enter our contests.


Zune Thoughts

Loading feed...

Digital Home Thoughts

Loading feed...

Pocket PC Thoughts

Loading feed...



Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Talking with John Starkweather of MED Division at Microsoft - Part 1

Posted by Mike Temporale in "ARTICLE" @ 07:30 AM

A couple weeks ago, I sat down and had a one-on-one chat with John Starkweather, the Group Product Manager for Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft. We talked about numerous different topics like the future of ActiveSync, Motorola, HTC, Samsung, Product Announcements, Marketing efforts, and more. Today, we're going to share part one of this interview with you. I'm no Walter Cronkite when it comes to interviews. I had a nice long list of topics that I wanted to cover. If you find it jumps around a little, I'm sorry about that. It's just the way the conversation went. ;)

Mike: For those that may not be familiar with who you are, can you share with us your name and your position in Microsoft?

John: John Starkweather, I�m a Group Product Manager in the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division. I�m in charge of a group that works with product planning, we work with product management and development to make sure that the products we�re bringing the market and the way that we�re marketing them works for people. So that the product actually makes sense to you and I when we walk into the store. I run a marketing team. It�s a worldwide marketing team for Windows Mobile and Windows Embedded.

Mike: Perfect, thanks. I had a bunch of general questions about where Windows Mobile is going. Lack of announcements that we've seen, where we�re going forward and, um, manufacturers. Whatever�s happening. If I�m missing anything that you want to share.

John: It�s kind of interesting, to quote you on lack of announcements. Things are, um, devices tend to be rather cyclical, so if you were to go and look at what was announced at CTIA, it was kind of a lackluster show.
Mike: Last year, MEDC I think was the big announcement for WM5, and I guess it was almost end of November until we saw much from WM5 on the market.

John: It was November � there were a few people, like the Universal came out, it was August is started hitting folks, then in the US the 6700 with Sprint came out, because our RTM with our software was the spring; it was a little late for some of those folks.

Mike: I think it frustrated a lot of the customers in the end because we hear this big huff about it and everybody wants to go out and get it, and you can�t. It�s nowhere to be found and you have to wait six, eight, ten, 12 months.

John: It�s a challenge we have, and to top that off, people assume when they hear Microsoft and software, they�re so used to the PC world where you can immediately go buy a box and go do an upgrade, they immediately think oh, so I should just be able to go do this and do it now. The answer is no. Every phone�s got custom hardware and you�ve got these operators in the mix they bring a lot of goodness.

Mike: Which is still problem, a lot of people are out there, as soon as iMate released a new ROM for the SP5M, instantly people were asking, can I put this on my Cingular phone?

John: Exactly. The truth is, yes.

Mike: Technically you might be able to, but there are going to be some hardware differences, and you�re not going to have a solid experience.

John: HTC finished all their MSFP stuff in January, and they sent it all out to their OEMs and operators. Operators go through testing. iMate does a couple of their tweaks, which are minor, cause they�re shipping HTC products, and they put it out. They don�t have an operator trials. Operators have their long process.


Top Smartphone Software

News Tip or Feedback?

Contact us

Thoughts Media Sites

Pocket PC Thoughts

Smartphone Thoughts

Digital Media Thoughts

Recent Posts

  • Rocco Augusto: Oops I'm Late Calls Ahead When You're Running Behind
  • Rocco Augusto: Canadian Samsung Jack Gets Windows Mobile 6.1 Upgrade
  • cteel2004: Win a Free Bluetooth Headset
  • Rocco Augusto: HTC S740 Gets FCC Approval and Lacks U.S. 3G
  • Rocco Augusto: HP Silver is not Vaporware After All!
  • Hedge: LingvoSoft Dictionary English <-> Japanese Kana and EngCalc - save 30%
  • Jason Dunn: Smartphone Suicide by Vibration?
  • Don Tolson: Stick It In Your Ear...and Love It! A Review of The Helium Digital HD650 BT Headset

Thoughts Media Network: Recent Articles

Loading feed...

Thoughts Media Network: News

Loading feed...

Sponsored links