The rumors that Microsoft has allied with some Japanese companies to develop a device capable of rocking iPod's supremacy seem to have stemmed from a translation error.


A few days ago, Bloomberg quoted a press release which allegedly said that Microsoft would ally with Toshiba, JVC, NTT DoCoMo and five other companies to create a portable device able to rival Apple's MP3 player.

"The announcement that came out of Japan this week was simply about the Japanese launch of Windows Media Player 11. Due to translation issues the announcement was misconstrued to sound like Microsoft was developing a rival to the iPod; that's just not the case," a Microsoft representative told PCWorld.

The companies mentioned above will ally with Microsoft to ensure a superior user experience. PCWorld reported that they agreed to support Windows Digital Rights Management 10 for portable devices.

The first official beta of Windows Media Player 11 was launched by the Redmond Company together with the download service URGE.

It's true that Microsoft is determined to take on Apple in the field of digital entertainment, where the Cupertino company is number one, but Media Player 11 and URGE are currently the only weapons against iTunes and iPod.

Windows Media Player 11 has been certified by Softpedia as being 100% FREE and is available for download here.