Microsoft has posted a detailed case study in it’s Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) site on how to port iPhone apps to Windows Mobile 6.5. This guide was probably developed to allow current iPhone developers to port their apps to the upcoming Window Mobile Marketplace. Gripwire.com, a mobile and social application development company, was successfully able to port their Amplitude iPhone app to Windows Mobile according to MSDN.
Since the launch of iPhone OS, Android, and WebOS, Microsoft has lost ground on the mobile phone market. With the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft is making a push to regain lost ground and now with the ability to port the thousands of apps already available for the iPhone, and those already available for Windows Mobile, they are destined to make up lost ground. Many analysts have reported that Microsoft needs to do more than to open a app store and suggest developing their own hardware. Microsoft does not appear that they will be venturing in this direction but some rumors have begun floating around that Microsoft is looking at acquiring Palm.
For the development of this the developers used an HTC Touch Pro with a recent Windows Mobile 6.5 beta build. The HTC Touch Pro was chosen because of some of the hardware specs that Amplitude requires.
Microsoft plans on launching the Microsoft Window Mobile Marketplace late this year.