Microsoft's Windows Phone 8: An iPhone killer?

Microsoft has long struggled to break into the smartphone market, but now, its new operating system is winning rave reviews

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveils the new Windows Phone 8 on Oct. 29.
(Image credit: Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 at a conference in San Francisco on Monday, its latest effort to break into a smartphone market dominated by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android. WP8 boasts a bevy of improved features, including better synchronization with other Microsoft products, an updated home screen that features Windows Phone's trademark "live tiles," and access to 46 of the 50 most popular apps. WP8 will be featured on smartphones manufactured by Nokia, Samsung, and HTC, and will be sold by carriers T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. WP8 is already receiving positive reviews, though that's no guarantee of commercial success. Previous versions of the phone were well received, and Microsoft still commands a paltry 3 percent of the smartphone market.

Can WP8 become an iPhone killer? It certainly has some great features, says the BBC:

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