Microsoft's Deals service won't work on WP7 phones

Social shopping service will work with Bing, plus Apple and Android devices.

Microsoft Corp. doesn't appear to be a fan of Windows Phone 7.

On Thursday, the software giant said it was launching a social shopping service called Deals that would work with its Bing search engine. Deals also runs on mobile devices, such as Apple Inc.'s iOS and Google Inc.'s Android operating systems, so shoppers on the go can make sure they're getting the best price available.

One curious omission: Deals doesn't work with Windows Phone 7, the latest version of Microsoft's mobile OS.

A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed via email that WP7 didn't currently support Deals, but that the software would be updated later this year to accommodate the shopping service.

Microsoft acknowledged the issue on its Bing Community blog. A post signed by "the big team" thanked users for their feedback but said WP7 wouldn't support Deals until the phone software is updated.

WP7's failure to support Deals comes as the world's largest maker of computer software scrambles to respond to a computing market that is rapidly shifting to mobile devices. While many of its products, such as the Windows operating system and Office suite of productivity software, rule desktops and laptops, the Redmond, Wash.-based company has made little headway in the world of smartphones and tablet devices.

Microsoft is at work on an update its Windows 7 operating system for computers that will tailor its features to work with touch screen tablets. Those devices require software that handles easily and doesn't drain battery power.

The company doesn't have an operating system designed specifically for tablet computing--the latest wave of hardware innovation--and it may not until 2012.

Its Windows Phone 7, which appeared in October, has won praise but failed to achieve widespread adoption.

Microsoft is hoping a deal it struck last month with Nokia Corp.(NOK) will change that situation. Nokia will make WP7 its primary smartphone operating system and expects to launch a full line of WP7 devices by 2012.

The Deals shopping service is currently available on Android and iPhone devices. But it isn't available through Bing apps for either device. It can only be accessed through the phone's Web browser, the spokeswoman said.

Only about 4% of users