Mobile World Congress opens

In today's podcast: Mobile World Congress opens; Microsoft launches new mobile OS; and Staples expands IT services.

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The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona opened on Monday, setting the stage for the next round in the battle of mobile operating systems. Microsoft unveiled the next version of its operating system for mobile phones, Windows Phone 7 Series, featuring a move away from applications and towards functions. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer opened a news conference Monday, saying that . "We want more consistency in the hardware platform and in the user experience.” To make the interface more personal, Microsoft is counting on a checkerboard of customizable "live tiles" that can update automatically with information from the phone or the Internet. Microsoft plans to release a software development kit (SDK) to enable network operators and third parties to add new services and applications to the phones. Microsoft is under pressure to convince developers to stick with its mobile OS, and faces tough competition from Google Android and the Symbian platform, among other rivals.

Meanwhile, twenty-four mobile network operators have formed the Wholesale Applications Community to avoid fragmenting the apps market and to give developers one point of entry to all the members. The GSM Association announced on Monday that operators will now start working on uniting their existing developer communities, so developers will be able to go to one place to get their applications distributed instead of having to go through multiple application approval processes. The community will also start working on a common development standard that should be ready within the next 12 months. The standard will be independent of phone type and operating system, according to the members.

One of the two new smartphones with Google's Android mobile operating system that High Tech Computer (HTC) plans to start selling in March isn't officially billed as an update to Google’s Nexus One, but its design is similar and it offers improvements over the Google phone. The similarity is no big surprise considering HTC built Nexus One for Google. The HTC Desire, as the handset is called, carries specifications nearly identical to the Nexus One, with a few key changes. One improvement in the HTC Desire is the use of an optical joystick as an alternative to using the touchscreen.

In other news, Staples the office supplies retailers with 1,872 stores in North America, is expanding its IT services capabilities in a move that will take it right inside the data center.
Staples offers a variety of laptops and desktop computers in its stores, and has been working to expand it service capabilities. In 2006, Staples bought Thrive Networks, a managed services provider, and in 2008 it acquired Corporate Express, a supplier of office products to businesses and institutions,. Staples new unit, Staples Technology Solutions, is the combined entity of those two groups, said company officials.

And those are the top headlines from IDG News Service IT news update. This is Marc Ferranti in he New York Bureau. Join us again later for more news from the world of technology