Microsoft set to release new mobile operating system

Microsoft is set to unveil a new mobile phone operating system in what is being seen as a potentially make-or-break effort by the US software giant to remain a player in the hotly competitive niche.

    Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer is going to unveil a new line of smartphones powered by Windows Phone 7 (WP7) at an event in New York and the devices are expected to hit stores around the world in the next few weeks.
    Ballmer is confident WP7 will help Microsoft claw back market share lost to Apple's iPhone, Research in Motion's Blackberry and devices powered by Google's Android mobile platform.” I think our products will stand out compared to any others," Ballmer told a business conference in Madrid. "We would not be launching the product if we did not feel good about its chances to do well."
    Smartphones powered by WP7 will run email from various services, not just Microsoft's Hotmail, integrate calenders, contacts and social networks and allow for documents to be viewed, edited and shared using Microsoft Office.WP7, which represents a shift for Microsoft from the enterprise market to the consumer, will also allow users to tap into Microsoft's Zune music player ecosystem and to access mobile versions of Xbox 360 games.