Smartphone Thoughts: Microsoft Announces Silverlight for Windows Mobile

"Bringing Silverlight to devices expands the reach that developers and designers have when creating rich internet applications. This enables them to easily leverage content, assets, and code that they are using today for browser-based Silverlight applications. Support for Silverlight on devices will quickly help change the landscape for the types of user experiences consumers can expect from their phones by bridging rich interactivity, wireless data, media and more."

Silverlight is Microsoft's answer to Adobe's Flash technology, the technology that primarily enables Internet sites to offer interactive applications and media content within the browser. Silverlight will be offered as a browser plug-in and will be available for Windows Mobile 6 devices. According to the Microsoft Web site, the developer preview will be available in the 2Q 2008 but no details are provided as to when the end-user will get to see this on their handsets. Arne over at the::unwired has raised a good question - it is not clear if this feature will be made available in a new ROM version or as a direct download from Microsoft.