Mobile working Toolkit

Branson and Ballmer show Valentine's Day love

Andrew Donoghue in Barcelona ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 14 Feb 2006 16:05 GMT

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Virgin's Richard Branson, two of the biggest showmen of the business world, showed off their softer sides on Tuesday by declaring their heartfelt love for each other's companies on Valentines Day.

Speaking on the second day of the 3GSM World Congress in the romantic city of Barcelona, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, known for his fiery temper and alleged propensity for chair tossing, showed uncharacteristic passion during his hour long keynote speech.

"I am a newbie at this show. This is the first year that I have been able to make it," Ballmer enthused. "I have got a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for the mobile industry. Today is a Valentine's Day and a day of love — I love the mobile industry and I love our mobile partners."

Sir Richard Branson who was on hand via a pre-recorded video clip to promote his company's partnership with Microsoft and BT to create Movio, the world's first digital TV mobile service, was similarly emotional.

"It's fantastic to be working with Microsoft and BT. I love this company," Branson shouted. "Two people can play at this game."

The Movio service will make use of the new Trilogy handset, which is thought to be the world's first smartphone capable of connecting over a Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network and handling IP packets.

The Trilogy was designed by BT, The Technology Partnership, a UK technology firm, and Taiwanese mobile handset manufacturer HTC. It runs on Windows Mobile 5.0.