The fledgling competition to develop "smarter" cell phones for Web-hungry consumers is getting a powerful new tag-team entry: Motorola Inc. and Microsoft Corp. The nation's largest cell-phone and software manufacturers plan to announce an alliance Monday under which Microsoft software will power a series of new Motorola smart phones and wireless devices.
The products, starting with the Motorola MPx200 phone that is to make its American debut in the fourth quarter and be carried by AT&T Wireless Services Inc., will be the newest entries in a category being eyed by several big software and phone makers.
Smart phones, combining the features of cell phones and handheld computers, have been introduced in only a handful of countries and remain sparse in the United States. Fewer than 10 million of the estimated 450 million handsets being sold worldwide this year are considered smart phones.
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