Windows Mobile 6.5 is the OS that will supposedly crush the iPhone, Android, and (if it gains any traction) Web OS for the Palm Pre. It is just that spectacular. Or that’s what Microsoft wants everyone to believe anyway. And people might get that impression from the recent Mobile World Conference. Plenty of companies were showing off phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 but there weren’t many showing off Android. (Apple was a no show at the event, the iPhone is big enough that it doesn’t need the trade show to get traction).

Can that be right? With all the excitement surrounding Android why such a paltry showing at Mobile World Conference? Well, if you like conspiracy minded stuff Roughly Drafted has a theory. It is the usual “Microsoft is paying companies to use Windows Mobile” sort of thing but it is well written and uses some concrete examples of known examples of such behavior.

If Microsoft is going out of its way to destroy Android, with back room deals and obscure marketing payments, it is definitely a sign that the company is starting to feel the pressure. Which wouldn’t be a surprise, Microsoft charges for Windows Mobile and Android is open source. It can be hard to compete with free but it turns out it might be too little, too late. There’s already a linux based OS that dominates in terms of market share. IT’s called Symbian and used by the world’s leading cell phone maker: Nokia.