Microsoft is hoping its new mobile phone software, to be launched in October, will revive its fortunes in the market for smart phones.

微软期望通过十月份发布的新手机软件来复兴其在智能手机市场的地位。

The new phones will be available on Oct 6th

Analysts² estimate Microsoft's Windows Mobile software trails fourth in the market with a 9% share while rival Symbian dominates with about 50%.

"Our new class of phones sets us up for the future," Microsoft's Stephanie Ferguson told BBC News.

Microsoft would not say how many new phones will feature Windows Mobile 6.5.

"We do expect to have a lot of momentum³（动力，要素） using the Windows brand more prominently（显著地）," said Ms Ferguson, general manger in the Windows mobile group.

"It is a brand that customers know and trust and we haven't quite used it as well as we should. Our research with customers shows when we put Windows phones out there they are highly interested."

Among the mobile operators signing on are AT&T and Verizon in the US, Orange and T-Mobile in Europe, Telecom Italia Mobile in Latin America and NTT DoCoMo Inc and SK Telecom in Asia Pacific.

Handset makers⁴ producing phones powered by the software include LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Toshiba Corporation and Acer.

'Lame⁵, lame, lame'

But despite the confident talk, analysts and industry watchers note that Microsoft is not where it would wish to be in the smart phone market.

Technology research firm Gartner said smart phones are the fastest growing segment（部分） of the mobile phone market topping 40 million sales and representing a 27% increase from the same period a year ago.

Analyst¹ company Canalys reported that shipments of devices powered by Windows Mobile fell to 9% of global smart phone shipments, down from the company's 14.3% share in the same period in 2008 and well behind Nokia's leading share of nearly 45%.

RIM's Blackberry commanded 20.9%. Apple's iPhone might demand the majority of headlines but has a 13.7% market share.

"Despite its domination of desktop⁶ and server room operating system sales, Microsoft's attempts in the mobile arena⁷ have been lame（跛足的，不完全的）, lame, lame, to say the least," said Paul Rubens of Internetnews.com.

Ned Smith of DigitalMediaBuzz.com defended Windows Mobile as a worthwhile product.

"What gets lost in the hooting⁸（大声叫嚣） and hollering（叫喊） that often overpowers the smart phone conversation, is that Windows Mobile devices are plenty powerful, with ability to run Windows Mobile Office productivity apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. There's also a user base well north of 30 million," noted⁹ Mr Smith.