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Microsoft and Sprint have made available a new free advanced mobile search service that uses Live Search and GPS information to provide local results for mobile searchers.

Just log on to Sprint's WAP portal, and start searching for content, local listings, maps and the web for information. If the GPS on your device is turned on, it will automatically narrow the results to those available in your area.

Apparently, Microsoft plans to launch soon their new Zune Phone, another rival to the Apple iPhone.

The upcoming handset will run on Windows Mobile 6 and promises to be a full-featured multimedia smartphone. Not much is known right now about the device, and there was no word on pricing and availability.

RIM's shares rose more than 3% to close at $85.41 on the NASDAQ Friday due to rumors about Microsoft's intentions on buying the smartphone manufacturer.

However, the whole idea doesn't make much sense as RIM's current market value is about $47bn, and Microsoft would rather grow its own technologies instead of purchasing such a major company for them.

Nokia, the world's largest mobile device manufacturer, and Microsoft, a global leader in online communications and communities, have joined together to provide customers with a new suite of Windows Live services specifically designed for Nokia devices.

Starting today Nokia customers in eleven countries with compatible S60 devices can download the new suite enabling access to Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Spaces.

Microsoft has extended Nokia's license to include Microsoft PlayReady in its future S60 and S40 mobile phones. PlayReady digital rights management technology allows users to easily transfer multimedia content between devices such as mobile phones and computers. The technology supports most standard media formats, and is fully compatible with previous Windows DRM content.

Helio has launched a new downloadable client, called Mail for Microsoft Exchange. Using the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol the application allows users to remotely synchronize and access business email, contacts and calendar data from their corporate Exchange Server.

Owners of the Helio Ocean smartphone can wirelessly download the mail client to their device and after a brief set up, send and receive email, create and send calendar appointments and access corporate contact lists.

Microsoft and Sprint made a deal to develop and deliver new service offerings for Sprint's business and consumer customers.

The first consumer offering gives Sprint customers the possibility to use Windows Live Search for mobile on their wireless phones to search location-based content from the Internet.

Nokia, the Finnish handset vendor, announced today, that Nokia Corp.’s Mobile Search platform will integrate with Microsoft Corp.’s Live Search features to streamline mobile information searches on Nseries smart phones.

The Mobile Search resides on Nokia devices’ menu. It allows users to get results quicker than if they had to use the phone’s Web browser.