Microsoft gives Windows Mobile a new look for fall

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft Corp. is giving its operating system for “smart phones” a new look in time for the holiday shopping season.

The world’s largest software maker said today that phones running the next version of Windows Mobile will hit store shelves worldwide Oct. 6. Windows Mobile 6.5, as the new system is called, has an updated look that brings Microsoft’s offering more in line with competitors such as Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and Apple Inc.’s iPhone.

Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new version of its Internet Explorer browser for phones, and changes that make it easier to use on touch-screen devices.

Microsoft also has developed a free service called My Phone that lets people synchronize text messages, contacts, photos and other phone data on the Internet, where it can be edited or transferred to a new phone.

Microsoft also is launching a mobile application store akin to Apple’s store for iPhone apps on iTunes. The company would not say how many developers have submitted applications for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile so far.