Microsoft hopes new OS will boost phone share

       The rebranded Windows Phone will be made available in the Thai market, with 16 models from eight global brands on offer as Microsoft attempts to retain its share in the smart phone market.
       Lisa Lam, Business & Marketing Organisation Director, Microsoft (Thailand), said the company has rebranded Windows Mobile as Windows Phone to build consistency and common experience in using the world's foremost operating system, whether on PC, server or phone.
       Moreover, the company has also launched its handset OS Windows Mobile 6.5 in conjunction with several global brand manufacturers.
       By the end of this year, the company expects to have eight mobile phone brands running Windows 6.5, with HTC,Samsung, Acer, Asus, LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba on board, offering 16 models covering a variety of styles and price ranges to fit customer needs.
       Windows Phone has been designed to be interoperable with many device brands and platforms to respond to the different needs and demands of users, for both work and play, and creating experiences through a variety of hardware, applications and services.
       "Choice is a big differentiating factor when considering competitors which offer a limited range of models, and this has helped us sell more than 35 million Windows Mobiles from 140 Top OEMs," said Lam.
       She continued that Windows Mobile 6.5's key features include a newlydesigned home screen, an improved touch-sensitive user interface and Mobile Internet Explorer with built in Adobe Flash Lite, which enables websites to be displayed on phones in the same way they appear on a PC. Outlook Mo-bile/Exchange sync will be available at no additional charge if users hold an Exchange corporate license.
       In addition, Windows Phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the web; and Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which will offer over 30,000 applications. Popular mobile internet applications such as Facebook,MySpace, Netflix, Twikini, WunderRadio and Zagat will be available alongside a selection of games.
       According to IDC, the smart phone market in 2009 is estimated at around 197 million units worldwide, and is expected to reach 350 million unit by 2012. This is a growth rate of 77 percent,which is higher than that of feature phones, which have grown around 13 percent year-on-year.
       According to Gartner, in the smart phone operating system (OS) market,Symbian held s 51 percent share, down from 57 percent a year ago, while RIM and Apple shares grew year-on-year.
       Android's share was just under 2 per cent of the market and more Androidbased devices will come to market in the fourth quarter of 2009, intensifying competition in the smart phone OS market, particularly for Symbian and Windows.
       Microsoft's share continued to drop year-on-year to account for 9 per cent of the market in the second quarter of 2009.
       Recently, HTC (Thailand) introduced HTC Touch2, the first model built on the Windows Mobile 6.5 platform available in the Thai Market. The phone supports 3.5G, Wi-Fi and GPS, including a 3.2 MP camera at 16,900 baht.
       Meanwhile, Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve 8520 smart phone has a touch-sensitive trackpad and is the first BlackBerry to feature dedicated media keys, giving customers greater control of their music and videos.
       Advance Info Service offers the product, which will be available next month,at 13,900 baht.