Microsoft is predicting that global sales of devices running on its Windows Mobile platform will grow more than 50 percent by the end of the fiscal year in 2009. The company expects to sell 20 million Windows Mobile units by the 2008 fiscal year, which ends next month. Not everyone is optimistic however. Citigroup analyst Kevin Chang noted that [1] Microsoft's Windows Mobile faces an uphill battle, and that even a 50 percent annual growth might not be sufficient to break the stranglehold of Nokia's Symbian. To further complicate matters, both Apple and RIM are expected to release new versions 3G-enabled versions of their smartphones within the next few months.

For more on Microsoft's Windows Mobile:
- check out the CNET News.com article [2]