Microsoft expected to unveil new cell phones Monday that are latest incarnation of Sidekick

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Ahead of the Bell: Microsoft may unveil new phones

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft Corp. is expected to reveal new cell phones on Monday that are the latest evolution of its Sidekick handsets.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is expected to unveil the handsets, which have been referred to across the Web as the “Pink” phones, at a media event it is hosting at a nightclub in San Francisco on Monday morning.

Microsoft bought Danger Inc., the company behind the Sidekick, in 2008 in an effort to revitalize its smart phone software portfolio.

But the software maker could still use a leg up in the cell phone market: Its mobile software ran on 13.1 percent of smart phones sold in the U.S. last year, according to research firm In-Stat, putting it in third place after Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and Apple Inc.’s iPhone. And the software maker has been losing market share while Apple and Google Inc., which makes the Android operating software, have gained.