Is Microsoft finally getting in the mobile market?

Is Microsoft finally getting in the mobile market?

After years of being the uninvited guest at the mobile party, left out of the original Symbian Alliance, Microsoft has struggled to get its Windows operating system (OS) accepted in mobile devices. Even if it is widely unknown, Microsoft signed deals with over 40 handset vendors that are shipping 68 devices using its Mobile software. Among the big names are Motorola for building high-end smartphones based on its mobile OS, Nokia using its digital rights management (DRM) software and Palm - a long standing rival- for building a Windows based Treo device. Microsoft, however, is still viewed as an outsider in the mobile industry. But, as mobile phones increasingly come to look like personal computers, Microsoft has an increasingly better chance to win its place in the market. For example, Microsoft can leverage its strong enterprise email solutions and its position in PC software to get in. Will it succeed? Perhaps, it is definitively part of its strategy, but it is doubtful it can reach such a leadership it has in the PC market.