Matchbox develops Retail Client, a Windows Mobile demo application for Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.

Microsoft works closely with its retail channel to promote Windows Mobile devices including carrier and device specific promotions. This often includes creating videos to promote the unique capabilities of a device or to appeal to a particular target market. Microsoft has however faced challenges distributing these videos and other media content to be easily installed and run on the many thousands of phones in retail stores. In addition, Microsoft was aware that retail store representatives often

had to devote time each day to removing content on phones from customer’s web browsing and other activities. Microsoft wanted to take away this daily task for Windows Mobile devices.

Matchbox built a retail client solution for Microsoft to meet each of these goals. The application allows videos for specific retail promotions to be easily packaged and loaded onto memory cards, which are then distributed to each retail store. Retail representatives only have to insert the memory card into each phone and the videos automatically install, and then run whenever a customer is not using the phone. The retail client also includes a background “cleaning agent” that regularly removes content created by a variety of customer activities, such as web browsing, camera use, documents, phone logs, and text messages.

The retail client developed by Matchbox has given Microsoft a simple and scalable way to get promotional videos to hundreds of thousands of phones in retail stores across the US. The client has also helped ensure Windows Mobile phones require little to no maintenance for all retail store representatives.