Microsoft vs. Blackberry?

Ballmer's Microsoft Wages War On BlackBerry
Parmy Olson, 02.13.06, 2:26 PM ET

http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/13/microsoft-blackberry-ballmer-cx_po_0213autofacescan07.html

LONDON - Easy pickings? The cutting edge of technology is a precarious place to be. Just ask Research In Motion, the company that put every exec in communication overdrive with its BlackBerry device. While RIM is currently weaving its way round a possible shut down, its most daunting challenge may yet loom: competition from Microsoft.

The software giant led by zealously communicative (perhaps he owns one?) Chief Executive Steve Ballmer announced today that it was launching Windows Mobile Email, a package that works through Vodafone (nyse: VOD - news - people ) handsets. The service would allow users to send and receive e-mails and edit Word and Excel documents.

Vodafone will be deploying a range of Windows Mobile 5.0-powered devices to small and medium sized businesses this March in France, Germany and the U.K. Microsoft said it would be an "extension" of its Office desktop environment.

The latest move from Ballmer is certainly a blow for the nearly ubiquitous BlackBerry--but might RIM have something up its own sleeve? For now there's been the announced interface with the new Sony Ericsson M600 handset and there have been tie ups with European cellular giants O2 and T-Mobile.

Microsoft made its announcement at the mobile phone industry's annual 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona. Many there quietly contend that as RIM waits for a resolution to its patent infringement suit in the U.S., interest in so-called push e-mail is growing.

RIM is believed to have up to10 million mobile e-mail subscribers, but some say there could be up to 850 million push e-mail customers by 2009. Understandably there will be a lot of elbowing for a share of the market. The question is, will the BlackBerry get squashed in the process?