Just as chief executive Steve Ballmer boosted Zune market share by banning his kids from owning an iPod, his company has hit on a strategy to increase use of Windows Mobile devices.

From now on, according to Silicon Valley Insider, Microsoft employees will not be able to expense mobile data plans unless they use a cellphone that runs on Windows Mobile software.

That means the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre or any RIM BlackBerry are out, among other models.

The granddaddy of free internet calling is coming to Apple and RIM handsets - but with major feature limitations that will make many iPhone users question whether it's worth downloading.

¿Dónde está mi móvil?

Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo (pictured) has been left embarrassed at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona after a pickpocket stole his phone – one of only a handful running a pre-release version of Microsoft’s still top-secret new edition of Windows Mobile.

Firefox Mobile (aka “Fennec”), will be Mozilla’s first smartphone browser. But don’t hold your breath, alternative browser fans – early reviewers of the alpha version find a Fox with a long way to run before it's ready for public release.

Fennec first surfaced during October, in an alpha version that ran on the little-known Nokia Internet Tablet.

This week, another early-test version of Fennec was released, this time for Windows Mobile handsets.

Seeking to regain mobile ground lost to iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, Microsoft is set to announce an iTunes AppStore-style “online bazaar” next week.

The “bazaar” – as one insider labels it for The Wall Street Journal – will let owners of Windows Mobile devices pick and mix from a range of free and paid software downloads for their phones.

The new service will be unveilled at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona from February 16.

Apple and Microsoft smartphone users now have access to Google’s free Sync tool, which lets you access Gmail contacts and Google Calendar entries from your mobile.

The new tool (still in beta, naturally) is a port of the Google Sync service that was made available for BlackBerry users last year.

As well as day-to-day syncing, Google is pitching Sync as an easy way to update your contacts (assuming you store them all in Gmail) when you switch to a new phone.