Can Microsoft Catch Up in Mobile?

Microsoft (MSFT) executives have long spun visions of a world where computer users can seamlessly share information between a PC, the Web, and a cellphone. But the company has made little progress in making that vision a reality–at least until now.

On Feb. 16, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will take the stage at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to announce a major overhaul of the company’s mobile strategy. Some of the new initiatives are purely catch-up. Ballmer will unveil an online app store that lets users of Microsoft-powered phones download tools, games, and other apps–Apple (AAPL) opened its own app store in July, and Research In Motion (RIMM), Nokia (NOK), and others have announced plans for their own app stores. Ballmer will also announce a new service called My Phone that lets mobilephone users automatically sync photos, contacts, videos, and other files to a personalized Web site and then gain access to that content from a PC or any Web-connected device.

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