
Microsoft Re-Enters Mobile Fight
REDMOND, Wash. (
) --
Microsoft
(MSFT) - Get Report
is expected to announce that it's back in the mobile game next week at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona.
After watching
Apple's
(AAPL) - Get Report
iPhone software and
Google's
(GOOG) - Get Report
Android applications march off with greater portions of its smartphone business, Microsoft will likely showcase its newest operating system -- Windows Mobile 7 -- at the wireless industry event starting Monday.
|
Analysts expect Microsoft to preview Windows Mobile 7 next week and have it ready by fall. It should be available through phone makers like
HTC
and
LG
.
Trends in mobile phones have favored touchscreen-controlled smartphones and have largely departed from the scroll-through, dropdown menu format that characterized Microsoft's previous operating systems.
It's a new opportunity for Microsoft and one the company can't afford to miss if it expects to play a big role in mobile computing.
Other shops like
Palm
(PALM)
and
Research In Motion
(RIMM)
face a similar challenge in trying to develop popular software that can match the runaway success of the iPhone and Android devices.
Microsoft shares are down 9% so far this year as no-growth tech shops have fallen out of favor with investors.
--Reported by Scott Moritz in New York
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