Microsoft buys Portuguese mobile software company for “research and development”, not Zune phone

You’ve heard about the PSP phone. But what about the Zune phone? Unfortunately Microsoft has already stated in the past that it does not intend to turn the Wi-Fi’d music player into a handset. But then they go out and make their biggest investment in Portugal to date, on a mobile software company.

According to Nuno Duarte, Microsoft’s chief in Portugal, the software giant has agreed to buy MobiComp and intends to turn it into a research and development unit in Portugal. Nuno would not reveal anything about the financial side of the transaction, other than that “[It] is clearly the biggest investment Microsoft has made in Portugal in recent years.”

MobiComp

Apparently, Microsoft would rather have MobiComp as the R&D center of its mobile communications division, instead of perusing it to revive the Zune in another form.

And as it turns out, Nokia is one of MobiComp’s existing clients. Microsoft should then have a better view of how Nokia performs software-wise, if only partially, thanks to their acquisition of MobiComp.

One reason why Microsoft’s insistence that they will only use MobiComp as an R&D center seems reasonable, though, when you consider the fact that MobiComp’s work includes a tool to enhance mobile social networking to Internet sites like Facebook. The Zune, I think, is “social” enough. And Microsoft, thankfully, acknowledges that.

Via Yahoo!/Reuters

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Posted on 26 Jun 08 - Filed in Software&Services, Wireless - Comments - Written by David Gonzales

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