Microsoft has unveiled a line of mobile applications designed to rival iPhone applications and software. The software giant also inked a deal with the world's third-largest cell phone maker, LG, to use Windows software in some 60 devices to be produced between now and 2012.
The company has launched a backup service for pictures and contacts to be stored on Windows phones. Microsoft is now the number four software maker for mobile phones behind Nokia's Symbian system, Apple and Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM). Small handset vendor HTC is currently the world's largest maker of mobile phones using Windows software.
"A majority of their (LG) smartphones will use Windows," Andy Lees, the head of Windows' wireless unit, told Reuters in an interview.
The launch of an improved Microsoft apps store is due to the popularity of the iPhone apps store. The iPhone store is a user friendly functional application that enhances a users life by offering practical applications. Its big business for Apple too, even though the numbers are not in yet, the Blow a Kiss app on the iPhone this weekend was expected to be highly successful. With Blow a Kiss, a user could literally blow a kiss to send to a contact or loved one for Valentines Day.
With an entry into the apps arena from Microsoft, it could help stave off share losses in the mobile sector. The Windows Mobile software would include an online store for third-party applications as well as make it easier for users to store and retrieve pictures and contacts. The new mobile browser promises a "richer browsing experience" expected to become available in the second half of 2009.
Microsoft appears to have taken a page from the iPhone apps by debuting a couple new services are similar to it. My Phone will sync your text messages, photos, videos, contacts but not your email to the internet. Then there's Windows Marketplace for Mobile, an online one stop application shop that users can access from their mobile phones or the Web.
“Windows phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” said Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows phones that break down the barriers between people, information and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”
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