U.S. software giant Microsoft on Monday took a swipe at rival mobile operating systems maker Symbian, saying familiarity with Windows will help it be the standard used in new high-performance wireless devices.
"It's important (for developers and users) to have access to data they are already familiar with in the PC environment," Derek Brown, director of mobile devices group, told Reuters in an interview.
"It's a big question mark whether Symbian can create a platform with that sort of standard application compatibility."
The Redmond, Washington-based maker of the popular Windows operating system is in competition with Britain's Symbian, which is backed by the top four hand phone makers -- Nokia, Motorola, joint venture Sony-Ericsson and Siemens.
To date few big cell phone makers have signed up with Microsoft, while South Korea's Samsung Electronics 05930.KS is said to be considering a move away from Microsoft software.
News source: Reuters - Microsoft Banks on Windows to Win Mobile O/S Race
