Leading up to Microsoft’s Oct. 11 Windows Phone 7 announcement, the company on Friday announced executive promotions, including Andy Lees as president of the Mobile Communications Business.
In a press release, Microsoft said Lees, 45, will continue to oversee the overall marketing and product development for Microsoft’s mobility efforts. Lees, a 20-year Microsoft veteran, has led the Mobile Communications Business since February 2008 and was at the center of the company’s efforts to rebuild the mobile business, including the development of the upcoming Windows Phone 7.
Other appointments include the promotion of Kurt DelBene to president of the Microsoft Office Division and Don Mattrick to president of the Interactive Entertainment Business.
Also on Friday, Microsoft announced it had filed a patent infringement action against Motorola, claiming Motorola’s Android devices infringe on Microsoft patents.
In excerpts of an interview with The Wall Street Journal posted yesterday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer expressed some degree of confidence that Microsoft can make up lost market share even in the face of Apple and Android’s surge. “We’ll see,” he told the Journal. “The fact that things have been pretty dynamic means that they’re probably still pretty dynamic.”
Microsoft is working with HTC, Samsung, LG and “a variety of partners” to bring Windows Phone 7 handsets to market. Microsoft says Windows Phone 7 is designed to make everyday tasks faster by doing more in fewer steps and providing timely information in a “glance and go” format.
