Microsoft really wasn't kidding when they announced their intention to bring Windows Mobile to the top of the smartphone market. The Redmond-based company has announced that it expects its mobile phone platform to grow by a remarkable 50% per year in 2008 and 2009 - fueled by a fast-growing smartphone market. Smartphone shipments grew by [...]

Windows Mobile Live Search fans will be glad to hear that Microsoft has just updated their popular Live Search application with expanded features and Windows Mobile 6.1 support. Live Search should be installed on all Windows Mobile phones, in my opinion. So it's good to see that WM6.1 is now fully compatible with the integrated [...]

Microsoft may not have cashed in on the initial iPhone hype, but that doesn't mean the behemoth tech company doesn't have plans to milk the cash cow from Cupertino. Upon reviewing the recently released Apple iPhone SDK and Apple's announced support for Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft says it is seriously considering a push into developing applications [...]

What is this, 1993 ? Microsoft is again the target of market-position abuse complaints in the European Union. Opera, maker of our favorite mobile browser, has filed a complaint with the European Commission against the software giant for abusing their dominant market position. Apparently, Opera isn’t liking Microsoft’s practice of bundling their Internet Explorer browser with Windows. Futhermore, Microsoft is accused of stifling interoperability by skirting accepted internet-language standardization. Opera wants Microsoft to relent and give users a true choice in which browser they want to use. “We are filing this complaint on behalf of all consumers who are tired of having a monopolist make choices for them,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera. “In addition to promoting the free choice of individual consumers, we are a champion of open web standards and cross-platform innovation. We cannot rest until we’ve brought fair and equitable options to consumers worldwide.” If Opera gets its way, the European Commission would force Microsoft to unbundle its Internet Explorer browser with Windows and possibly even offer alternative browser choices within Windows. We’re with Opera all the way on this one. Internet Explorer doesn’t follow internet-standards and causes more headaches for coders/developers/designers than most people will ever know. It requires more time and money to ensure that webpages will render correctly in IE, and ultimately wastes unnecessary time. The revolution has begun - again! Viva la Opera! [Via: Macworld UK ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:European Union approves Sony Ericsson, Motorola dealEU citizens benefiting from Eurotariff roaming charge price capEU telecom ministers support opening up 900Mhz GSM radio spectrum for mobile servicesQualcomm being investigated by European Union for abusing its market positionNokia files Patent Exhaustion Case against Qualcomm in Europe

If Apple’s newest job listing is any indicator, the techies at Cupertino are looking to bring on a new employee to finally bring Microsoft Exchange functionality to the iPhone. Apple is apparently looking for a “motivated, highly-technical Exchange test/sync engineer with excellent problem solving and communication skills,” who will be joining “a dynamic team responsible for qualifying the latest iPhone products…Your focus will be testing Exchange and Outlook functionality with Apple’s innovative new phone.” Apple has been pushing to break into the enterprise environment with the iPhone, but the lack of support for the Microsoft Exchange email system that hive-minded corporations love so much has kept the iPhone largely a favorite of the consumer crowd. With support for the email syncing capabilities of MS Exchange, however, Apple could successfully make the iPhone a business contender that may give the BlackBerry a serious run for its money. As it stands today, the iPhone is only capable of limited MS Exchange support through third-party offerings and supports IMAP email synchronization in certain situations. A recent survey found that 98% of respondents would be much more likely to pick up an iPhone if it had support for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft ActiveSync. While ActiveSync is pretty much the arch-rival of Apple’s iTunes-based sync strategy, it might make prudent business sense for Apple to give in and finally support it. After all, Apple’s support for MS software applications like the MS Office suite and even virtualization of Windows has brought Apple to the competitive foreground in recent years. If Apple does rollout support for Microsoft Exchange email synchronization, you can bet that we’ll be setting up our own MS Exchange servers. [Via: Apple Insider ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Apple may be licensing Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for Direct Push email on iPhone!Microsoft Exchange email on your Apple iPhone with IceWEB's IceMAILiPhone syncs with Microsoft Exchange via Synchronica's Mobile Gateway 3.0Apple iPhone does Enterprise - will have standard OSX VPN-client and Quick Look for Word and Excel FilesSynchronica Mobile Gateway 3.0 [...]

How do you know when a nascent market is really starting to stretch its legs and build some legit momentum? When giants like Microsoft start to accept the market and give a proverbial nod in its direction. As much as as talk-up the mobile market (in respect to advertising, in this case), Microsoft hasn’t quite taken up advertising in the US mobile market. Microsoft has already had mobile-based advertisements in place Belgium, France, Spain, Japan, and the UK, but the US has yet to see those ads. Well, today all that changes. Microsoft has kicked off their advertising campaign in the mobile space with their first ads on US MSN Mobile. US users will start to notice advertisements from the likes of Bank of America, Jaguar, and Paramount Pictures.  Advertising in the mobile space is just another facet of Microsoft’s multi-pronged ad-strategy. The software giant is looking to bring in lucrative advertising dollars by offering customers the option of placing ads in a wide range of outlets - from the mobile space to its XBOX Live service. In an age of ever-increasing mobility and convergence, traditionally entrenched market-giants like Microsoft are going to have to adapt their business model to accommodate changes in the mobile landscape - of which mobile advertising is just the start. On a related note, Microsoft is planning to expand its offerings through MSN Mobile by rolling out astrology (yippee) and movie ticket purchasing services. [Via: Reuters ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:ScreenTonic: Mobile advertiser gets bought by MicrosoftMobile advertising to hit $11 billionHilarious Microsoft Windows Mobile advertising campaign - Untamed WorkforceGlobal Mobile Technologies to deliver interactive multimedia ads to mobile phonesMicrosoft re-launches MSN Mobile - revamped web portal for mobile phones

Talk about talking smack.  Mike Lazaridis, CEO of RIM (Research In Motion), makers of the addictive CrackBerry handsets, is being quoted as saying that the iPhone is no threat to the BlackBerry lineup. He suggested that people “try typing a web key on a touchscreen on an Apple iPhone, that’s a real challenge. You cannot see what you type” - directly taking a stab at the iPhone’s lack of a hard-keyboard. “The Apple iPhone has severe limitations when it comes to effortless typing. Of course you have more screen space, with more artistic interactions, but that’s not enough. We’ve seen this before when Palm tried virtual keyboards. When they launched the Treo they licensed our keyboard,” Lazaridis said. RIM’s co-CEO Jim Balsillie also mentioned that the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform poses no real threat to the BlackBerry lineup. He was quoted as saying that, “Windows Mobile isn’t that big a competitor…They are a modest force to RIM. Microsoft should be working at services, not at distributed PCs, which is what Windows Mobile actually still is.” Sounds to us like RIM is shaking in their boots and playing tough. We have a feeling that their boardroom convo’s are skewed towards topics about what to do about the looming threat of Apple’s UI-appeal and Microsoft’s new Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 - which takes aim at RIM’s BES server technology. RIM is something of a one-trick pony with their push-email and corporate syncing prowess, and with Microsoft breathing down their necks, they’ve got to be just a little worried. So, how do you show investors that you’re company is still in a strong, leveraged position? Lie and front like you’re good to go. Good luck with that strategy, RIM. [Via: Tech.co.uk ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Microsoft eyeing RIM for acquisition?Another RIM BlackBerry outage?Apple may be licensing Microsoft Exchange Active Sync for Direct Push email on iPhone!AppleBerry coming soon!?RIM doubles profits, revenues