LG Electronics said it has chosen Microsoft's Windows software as its primary platform for smartphones.

The deal comes a few months after the companies signed a technology collaboration deal, and it means LG will bring out 50 smartphones over the life of the deal. LG said it would release up to 26 Windows smartphones by 2012.

"New LG phones running Windows will take advantage of the excitement in this dynamically growing market," said Yong Nam, LG's CEO, in a statement. "The Windows platform brings flexible and customer-friendly software that ties into the Web and the PC, giving our phones a wide range of new capabilities to address an increasing number of segments and markets."

The first handset to take advantage of the deal will be the LG GM730 touch-screen smartphone. The handset will be preloaded with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, but it will be upgradable to the 6.5 version in the second half of this year. LG will be layering its S-Class user interface on top of the operating system, which is a cube-based layout that provides customizable one-touch access to music, Internet services, videos, and other features.

The smartphone should help mobile workers, as it can receive corporate and personal e-mail on the go, has a document viewer, and has GPS capabilities. To stay connected, LG's smartphone has Wi-Fi, EDGE, and HSDPA 3G that can get 7.2 Mbps downlink.

The GM730 will have robust multimedia capabilities including an FM radio, built-in hands-free controls, and a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus technology. LG didn't release pricing or availability details for the GM 730.

The deal with Microsoft does not mean LG will be exclusive to Window's mobile platform, as executives said at Mobile World Congress the company was working on at least two handsets with Google's Android operating system.

Smartphones are boosting productivity in many businesses, but questions still remain on what's the best way to mobilize applications, and how to secure sensitive corporate data. InformationWeek examined the issue in an independent report, and it can be downloaded here (registration required).