Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB will start selling its first phone using Windows Mobile software this year, Microsoft Corp. announced on 10th February, just before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Until now, Sony Ericsson has primarily used the Symbian operating system for its smartphones. Its Windows Mobile phone will have a touch screen with a slide-out keyboard and a camera, “said Brian Arbogast, vice president of mobile services at Microsoft.

While Apple iPhone s Inc has stimulated the interest of the touch-screen phones, Sony Ericsson has been selling phones with touch screen for years. Sony Ericsson uses the UIQ user interface on its Symbian phones. UIQ competition with the 60 series, the user interface of Nokia Corp. developed to run on its Symbian phones.

Sony Ericsson joins High Tech Computer Corp., Motorola Inc., Palm Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., and businesses that use the sale of Windows Mobile phones.

Microsoft said the device Sony Ericsson is expected to be available for end users this year and that examples will be presented at the Barcelona conference. Sony Ericsson was not available to provide more details. He planned to hold a press conference Monday to discuss the announcement.

“We are enthusiastic to bring their expertise and experience entertainment and trademark for a device that has all the benefits of Windows Mobile,” said Arbogast.

Sony Ericsson will probably continue to sell Symbian phones in addition to the Windows Mobile device, a common practice among developers of mobile phones. For example, Motorola sells Windows Mobile, Symbian and Linux phones, while Palm sells Windows Mobile phones, as well as devices that use its own operating system.

Nokia, the No. 1 manufacturer in the world combined, does not make Windows Mobile phones, but it’s using Linux to power handhelds and Symbian as widely used.

The Sony Ericsson phones could help Microsoft in a recent effort to position Windows Mobile phones, which are mainly seen as tools for professional users and attractive to consumers. Sony did that with their phones Walkman music players and cameras Cyber-shot, featuring brands that are well known to consumers.

Rumors circulated late last year that the aircraft manufacturer has begun to manufacture a Windows Mobile phone vessel in the second half of this year. At the time, Sony Ericsson would not confirm the plans.

Windows Mobile is in a distant second place behind Symbian in market share among mobile operating systems. In the fourth quarter of 2007, Symbian was used in 65% of all smart phones sold worldwide, according to recent research from Canalys.com. Microsoft has 12% of phones sold, followed by Research In Motion Ltd., with 11%.

The Mobile World Congress, formerly known as 3GSM, starts today in Barcelona.