Microsoft Corp. has named a new leader for the companys mobile device division, which has been vacant since Senior Vice President Paul Gross resigned last summer.
Corporate Vice President Pieter Knook, 43, will be heading up a newly restructured division, which combines the Network Service Provider group and the Mobile Devices group into a single entity.
Knook has been with Microsoft for 12 years.
He will be responsible for the development, marketing and sales of the companys smart phone and handheld operating systems.
Officials at the Redmond, Wash., company said that by merging Mobile Devices with the NSP group, Microsoft hopes to improve its relationship with wireless carriers and further development of software that supports both voice and data on GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) networks, which carriers will be rolling out throughout the year.