MWC 2008: Microsoft buys Danger

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Microsoft has bought Danger, the developer of the software behind the T-Mobile Sidekick smartphone, in a move to strengthen its mobile web capabilities.

The deal, which has been in the works for some time, was made public on the same day Microsoft failed to acquire Yahoo.

The Danger buy, announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, is expected to complete later this year for an undisclosed sum, Microsoft representatives said.

"Danger has an excellent business we're quite excited about," said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.

Henry Nothhaft, chairman and chief executive of Danger, said in a statement: "By combining our uncompromised application software and powerful back-end service with Microsoft, we can expand our innovative service offerings even further and take mobility to a new level."

Danger is best known as the developer of the software installed on the T-Mobile's Sidekick series, a consumer-focused smartphone featuring email and other applications.

Bach said the acquisition "completes the picture for us in terms of making the transition from being on the business side of things to being on the consumer side of things."

Indeed, during the press conference in Barcelona, Bach and his fellow Microsoft reps stressed that the company's mobile line would become more personal and consumer friendly. Both Windows Mobile and the devices it runs on are often criticised for being too business-focused.

Speaking of smartphones, Bach said: "People don't think of them just as business devices... these are devices which span your life."

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