Microsoft Phasing out 'Pocket PC' and 'Smartphone' Brand Names

Microsoft has decided to stop referring to devices as Pocket PCs or Smartphones. Instead, both these groups of products will be combined in one category, Windows Mobile devices.

Scott Horn, a senior director in Microsoft's Mobile and Embedded Devices group, discussed this plan with the IDG News Service at last week's CES tradeshow in Las Vegas.

Microsoft believes that handhelds and smartphones are merging together, and having two different names for similar products is confusing.

Rather than requiring customers to decide if they want a handheld or a smartphone as a first step, consumers will be presented with the full range of devices to choose from.

This change is a continuation of a process that began last year, when Microsoft replaced Pocket PC 2002 and Smartphone 2002 with Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC and Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone.

However, this was more than a simple name change. About 90 percent of the code base for the two Windows Mobile versions is the same.

This plan will likely be reflected in the next version of Microsoft's operating system for mobile devices. Both version of this are expected to be called simply Windows Mobile 2005.

Microsoft is also going to ask its licensees to stop putting the term "Pocket PC" in their product names. Currently, this is quite common. For example, the full name of one of HP's high-end models is "HP iPAQ hx4705 Pocket PC."

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