Focusing on Bada may not be the answer, though. It seems as if the trend in the industry is to move from in-house proprietary platforms to more open models - look at Nokia's switch to the Windows Phone platform. With the struggles Nokia had in making Symbian a global success, I can't see how Samsung could do any better.

Sales of PCs with Windows to businesses actually rose 8% in the quarter ended June 30, but could not offset weak demand among consumers, particularly in so-called developed markets, according to Microsoft. Sales of lightweight netbook computers with Windows fell 41% in the period.

Support for the latest UEFI specifications also means that American Megatrends' (AMI) Aptio core 4.6.5.1 is fully ready to support Microsoft Windows 8 and the key security and pre-boot optimizations anticipated in the next-generation version of the OS.

HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou took the stage at Qualcomm's Uplinq conference in Sad Diego today to talk about Android and Windows Phone 7, but not before tooting HTC's own horn.

The chips will run applications faster and turn tablets into multimedia powerhouses. However, quad-core chips could be power hogs, and tablet applications may need to be rewritten to take full advantage of the hardware features, which could be a challenge, according to analysts.

Nokia's Windows Phones will start coming out at a relatively rapid clip after the first one appears later in 2011, said Jo Harlow, Nokia's executive vice president of smart devices.

Microsoft will buy Nokia's mobile division for US$30bn, and the deal will be completed this year because "both companies are very much in a hurry."

By 2015, Windows Phone 7 will power 37 per cent more smartphones than Apple's iPhone, according to the prognosticators at International Data Corporation

Finnish labor unions are afraid that Nokia's move could cost thousands of jobs since many employees in the company are responsible for developing Symbian-related businesses.

Nokia may be moving toward Windows Phone, but with the T-Mobile Astound (C7), it shows that with a few needed upgrades, Symbian can still function as a good entry-level smartphone.

"We have identified a technical issue with the Windows Phone update process that impacts a small number of phones," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in a Feb. 23 email to eWEEK. "In response to this emerging issue, we have temporarily taken down the latest software update for Samsung phones in order to correct the issue."

"I don't envision us using Microsoft. I would never say never but it's not something we're entertaining now," said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services product management for Motorola.

Nokia said Friday it will establish a broad strategic partnership with Microsoft, adopting Windows Phone as its main smartphone platform.

Motorola accused Microsoft of infringing 16 patents with its Xbox gaming console and in Windows for servers, PCs, and mobile devices, the company said.

Nokia reabsorbs Symbian, and Microsoft ships Windows Phone 7 -- two big yawns. How they became the mobile industry's elephants in the room.

So how does 40,000 Window 7 phones measure up? Google said last month that it was selling 200,000 Android phones a day. And Apple has said that its iPhone sales rate was 270,000 a day.

Analysts expect Qualcomm to benefit from new drivers in the market, including the launch of the revamped Windows Phone platform and the expected expansion of Apple's iPhone to new carriers in 2011.

Microsoft deserves credit for doing some things that go against the prevailing smartphone norm. Instead of a screen covered with little app icons, users get a set of colorful rectangles that Microsoft calls "live tiles."

The new operating system is a refreshing and complete break from the Windows Mobile OS of the past - Microsoft's failed attempt to transpose key elements of its PC operating system on to a smaller screen.