Mobile email just got easier: WDSGlobal to power email configuration within Windows Mobile 6

11th June 2007: WDSGlobal, a provider of wireless lifecycle management and support solutions for carriers, handset manufacturers and content providers, today announced that it will power mobile email configuration within Windows Mobile 6, providing users with faster and easier access to their web-based, POP3 and IMAP email accounts.

Removing the need for complex set-up procedures, Windows Mobile 6 users will only need to enter an existing email address and password when setting up their account on a mobile device. Email addresses are then matched against WDSGlobal’s comprehensive database of mobile service settings, ServiceMine™, which includes settings from more than 3500 POP3 and IMAP email service providers. These settings are retrieved and delivered over-the-air (OTA) to the device, auto-populating the email client with the necessary parameters, including incoming and outgoing mail servers and ports.

Historically, the complexity of mobile email configuration has been a barrier to adoption across the wireless industry. Users have been unsure of the settings needed to send and receive email on their devices or have been unable to follow complex set-up procedures. This has led to a poor user experience and lower than anticipated data revenues for carriers. Today, Windows Mobile 6 users enjoy faster and easier access to their existing email accounts while carriers benefit from heavier mobile email use and fewer support calls.

“Mobile email is moving quickly into the consumer market. Unfortunately, for many users, the set-up process has been too complex, creating a massive barrier to service adoption,” says Tim Deluca-Smith, Vice President of Marketing at WDSGlobal. “With thousands of email service providers available to users, it’s proven difficult for many carriers and device manufacturers to offer standardized and consistent email set-up support. Windows Mobile 6 removes much of the guesswork for the user, using ServiceMine from WDSGlobal to assure the accuracy of service settings. For the user it’s as close to an out-of-the-box experience as possible, and for the carrier it’s a means to ensuring a greater take-up of revenue-generating data services.”

“Windows Mobile offers people an easy-to-use platform so they spend less time setting up and navigating their devices and more time being productive and interactive on the go,” says Tim McDonough, senior director at Microsoft Corp. “We applaud WDSGlobal’s contribution to helping make email configuration for Windows Mobile 6 powered devices even easier, and we share their commitment to enhancing the mobile experience.”

ServiceMine also tracks service settings for Internet browsing, WAP, instant messaging, mobile TV, Push-to-Talk, enterprise and Java applications and content services. The repository of information is continually validated to ensure the accuracy of known settings and updated to include new providers and services coming to market.

“According to a recent study by WDSGlobal, 47 percent of technical support calls received by wireless carriers relate to failed access to data services. This is typically diagnosed as an error in configuration settings. Microsoft’s choice to power this key step in the email setup process with ServiceMine demonstrates how the user experience can be improved with automated processes and accurate knowledge of settings. Not only does this lower the barrier to entry but it mitigates potential support costs and makes satisfied users out of those who would have otherwise abandoned using email on their devices due to set-up complexity,” finishes Deluca-Smith.

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