To thwart threats of competition from the likes of Research in Motion with its BlackBerry devices and Apple with the iPhone, Microsoft and LG has entered into a strategic alliance. According to MobileTopSoft, it seems that the alliance will cover areas such as: R&D, marketing, applications and services. Coupled with LG’s renewal of its Windows Mobile license for Windows Mobile 7 when it is due out, Microsoft is aiming to launch a more integrated design with software and hardware.