Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour Uses Kenworth T2000 To Deliver Mobile Computing Message

Kenworth Truck Company is helping Microsoft Corp. bring the Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour to 11 major cities around the country.

The Microsoft tour offers an in-depth look at mobile computing. The tour's centerpiece is a 45-foot rolling Mobile Theater, chock-full of the latest server, wireless and device technologies.

According to Microsoft, the Kenworth T2000 was chosen as its tour transporter because it helps provides the tour with a premium image.

"It was essential that the truck selected to transport the Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour convey a very high-tech, premium image," said Derek Brown, product manager for the mobile devices division at Microsoft Corp. "When we saw the Kenworth T2000, we were certainly impressed by its sleek, aerodynamic and high-tech look. It made the final decision easy."

The tour kicked off in early May at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Since then, the black T2000 transporter has carried the tour to San Jose, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Dallas. Coming up on the two-month tour agenda are Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston and New York. The T2000 transporter and Microsoft exhibit also have been making weekend visits to Comp-USA retail stores in the tour cities following the weekday seminar stops.

The truck and trailer are being tracked all along the way by Aether System's MobileMAX2, the first mobile communications device to combine land-based and satellite technology in one rugged shell, which automatically delivers vehicle information to a central location.

Todd Modderman drives the T2000 on the Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour. Modderman works for Motion Picture and Events, a division of United Rentals.

"I really like the T2000," said Modderman, who is driving a Kenworth for the first time. "It definitely gives us the maneuverability we need to get in and out of the tour stops. We're not going into loading docks; we're going into parking lots. We pull a 52-foot trailer and have a 238-inch wheelbase, plus I've got the fifth wheel slid all the way back. So maneuverability is key."

Modderman said the black T2000 leased from PacLease uses a 475 hp Cat engine 3406E and 10-speed Fuller transmission. "We run heavy weight - about 77,000 pounds - but the T2000 has a good ride and the fuel economy is pretty good," said Modderman, who has driven trucks for nearly 14 years. "The single bunk is also good and comfortable."

The T2000 sports aluminum tool boxes behind the cab and has stainless steel rear fenders. "I keep it all polished up," said Modderman, who said he usually spends one day to set up the exhibit, and three days to detail the truck at each tour stop. "It works good and looks good."

He said that the truck generates a lot of attention for the tour. "Some people just want to look at the T2000. I let them look inside. A lot of people never have been around a truck before and they think it's neat to see the T2000 up close."

Modderman is especially looking forward to the New York stop at PC Expo in the Javits Center in late June. "The T2000 and Microsoft trailer exhibit will be the first thing people see when they walk in the convention center," he said. "And I expect that we'll be the only tractor-trailer at the show."

The Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour offers several seminars. The Enterprise Executive Wireless Deployment Workshop for senior executives focuses on wireless deployment and solutions issues. The executive briefing on Enterprise Wireless and Mobility offers an introduction to Microsoft mobile software powering servers, PCs, devices and services. The Mobile Professional session focuses on business and productivity with demonstrations on cell phones, Pocket PC, the code-named "Stinger" Smart Phone, and Microsoft Outlook mobile access.

More information on the Microsoft Mobile Experience Tour is available at www.microsoft.com/mobile/tour.

Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com.