Bill Gates, Chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, sits in front of a photograph of a smartphone. US software giant Microsoft announced that smartphones powered by the latest version of its Windows Mobile operating system would be available in October.

US software giant Microsoft announced on Tuesday that smartphones powered by the latest version of its Windows Mobile operating system would be available in October.

The Redmond, Washington-based company said in a statement that the new phones will hit stores on October 6 and will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of its mobile phone software.

Microsoft said the new generation of "Windows Phones" will feature a redesigned Internet Explorer Mobile browser and that a "wide variety" of applications will be available for the devices.

It said telecom carriers and handset makers from around the world planned to include phones with Windows Mobile 6.5.

Microsoft identified its partners in North America as mobile operators AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.

In Europe, its partners are mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba

Microsoft said that in Latin America its partners are mobile operator TIM Brazil and phone manufacturers HTC, LG Electronics and Samsung.

In Asia-Pacific, its partners are mobile operators NTT DOCOMO Inc., SOFTBANK Mobile Corp., SK Telecom, Telstra and WILLCOM Inc. and phone manufacturers Acer Inc., HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba.

© 2009 AFP