Microsoft set to launch Windows Phone 7 smartphones

bbc news

Microsoft is set to launch Windows Phone 7, its latest attempt to break into the lucrative smartphone market.

So far the company has failed to provide a credible challenge to rival operating systems from Apple, Google, Research in Motion and Nokia.

Mobile phone operators predict smartphones will have a 70% market share in just three years.

Microsoft says it has rebuilt the user interface from the bottom up, making Windows Phone 7 more user-friendly.

Previous operating systems from Microsoft have failed to make an impact with customers, and their limited functionality and lack of applications to customise the phones has resulted in a steady loss of market share.

While Nokia's Symbian operating system is still the market leader, Apple has rapidly gained market share with its iPhones, while phones using Google's Android software are forecast to overtake Apple soon.

Research in Motion, meanwhile, has seen its Blackberry phones gain popularity beyond its stronghold of business users.

Microsoft is expected to pitch its phone at consumers, integrating it with its popular XBox live service for video games, and the much less popular Zune music service.

The software will be launched with established partners such as HTC, Samsung and LG - three phone makers who have experience building phones for the Windows mobile platform.

In the US there are strong indications that Windows phones will first launch on the AT&T network, while T-Mobile has been mentioned as one of the system's key European partners.

Microsoft hopes to build on the recent success of its Windows 7 operating system for desktop computers and the broadly positive reviews for its new browser, Internet Explorer 9

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Microsoft set to launch Windows Phone 7 smartphones