Qualcomm and Microsoft will work together to port the Windows Mobile operating system to certain Qualcomm chips, speeding time to market and potentially dropping the price of smart phones, the companies said on Thursday. By integrating and testing support for Windows Mobile on Qualcomm’s Mobile Station Modem chips, the companies hope to help device makers speed product development times, they said. The support could also help lower costs for device makers. Handset manufacturers that use the integrated chips won’t have to buy a separate application processor, said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Gartner. “That will have an implication on the building material cost, and it will drop that cost down,” she said. The collaboration is also likely to help Windows Mobile win inroads into markets like North America and parts of Asia where code division multiple access (CDMA) has a foothold, she said. CDMA is the mobile telecommunications technology developed by Qualcomm. Microsoft and Qualcomm also say their collaboration will help extend the battery life of devices running the integrated chips. The chips are expected to become available to handset makers in the second half of this year and should hit shelves in 2007. Microsoft introduced the latest version of Windows Mobile last year, but a critical feature, push e-mail, has only recently become available to users. Windows Mobile competes with other popular mobile operating systems including Symbian’s, which has the bulk of the market share, and Research in Motion’s operating system.-Nancy Gohring, IDG News ServiceFor related news coverage, read Qualcomm Inks 1st Patent Deal for WiMax Product.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications Certifications Certifications Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe