Microsoft Corp, which has been trailing Microsoft Corp, and Google Inc in the fast-growing smartphone market, said it will launch Mango-powered handsets from top makers including Nokia Oyj, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and HTC Corp in coming weeks.
The smartphone sector is currently dominated by Apple and Android phones, which together make up about half of the market, with Microsoft seen as slow to react to the rapidly rising popularity of mobile devices.
But some analysts say Microsoft still has time to catch up, especially given uncertainties among handset makers after smartphone ‘s planned purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc sparked worries that Google may one day produce its own handsets.