Microsoft's Merlin conjures controversy

NEWS Handhelds featuring the new Microsoft operating system Merlin, are expected to ship in October, bundled with a range of new Microsoft applications. The new handhelds will include a range of new functions - Most of them running on Microsoft software. The new handhelds will ship with instant messaging software, ebook reader and a movie player all from Microsoft, with the alternatives from AOL, Adobe and Apple nowhere to be found. Merlin devices will need 32Mb of ROM - current systems have 16MB - which will contain the operating system and a number of applications, including those listed above. It will take a determined user to install and run AOL's instant messaging software in the limited memory space on a Palmtop if Microsoft's version is already installed. However, Microsoft's mobile marketing manager Magnus Ahlberg was unapologetic: "99 per cent of people will never install an application on those things. We could have shipped it with nothing installed, which would make it basically useless," he said. "Also, people won't uninstall applications. We could have shipped it with three versions of everything. That would be next to useless too, and you would run out of RAM [memory] in no time," he adds. On the specific case of the Media Player, he added that it "can handle Digital Rights Management, and it's quite unique in that". Microsoft and AOL almost went to court over disputes about their Instant Messaging rivalry, and the rights to pre-install software have featured strongly in the ongoing anti-trust proceedings against Microsoft. However, hardware manufacturers will have the freedom to change the software that is installed. Compaq's iPaqs already ship with non-Microsoft TV players, Ahlberg claims. Users will also be able to reprogram the ROM. This makes it possible for users to upgrade the operating systems of their PCs for the first time. AOL, Adobe and Apple did not get back to us in time to comment.