An earlier version

Microsoft plans a launch this spring of its next-generation operating system for wireless devices, Windows Mobile 6, in an effort to grab market share beyond desktop offerings, according to the Associated Press (via Wired).

Microsoft says the new software would render emails and other documents on handhelds much as they appear on desktop computers. Also, the software will have deeper connectivity to Microsoft's "Live" suite of online services, including instant messaging.

Those features are part of a broader effort by Microsoft to use connectivity to its prevalent desktop software as a strategy for catching up with the worldwide leader in mobile operating systems, Symbian.

Symbian says more than 100 million phones with its software have been sold; Microsoft doesn't give comparable figures but points to a Gartner prediction that 64 million Windows-enabled devices will have been sold by 2009.