Rumors have suggested before that Microsoft is looking to broaden the reach of Windows Mobile to more of a consumer oriented operating system for a variety of mobile devices, and these appear to be gaining some additional momentum with the news that Microsoft is seeking a Principal Program Manager for this task.

According to what we have been able to uncover, the job would entail “bringing Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile” and, of course, it is difficult to say what kind of LIVE content the company is looking to bring to the Windows Mobile platform; but we suggest that it could be a variety of things that center around the gaming experience, such as avatar integration and social interaction to start with.

The decision to move in this direction could be very helpful to combat some of the recent trends in mobile devices if they are able to deliver on bringing the Xbox LIVE experience to Windows Mobile. This is, however, a long way off, as they have to first hire someone and then get a plan in place. Once the plan is in place then we should be able to get a better idea of what is next. It sounds like a tall order to us, and they just might be better off with a focus on platforms such as BlackBerry and iPhone, rather than Windows Mobile.