• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, January 4, 2012

Microsoft and Nokia are preparing to spend a bundle to promote their new line of phones. According to a report in Windows IT Pro, the companies will lay out $200 million on marketing in the U.S. to trumpet the rollout of Windows Phone-powered Nokia smartphones aimed at taking on the iPhone and Android-based devices.

T-Mobile USA introduced the first Nokia-Windows Phone device with the mid-level Lumia 710, but higher-end models are expected to debut at CES in Las Vegas next week. The marketing budget will include incentives for retail workers to encourage them to recommend Windows Phone devices as an alternative to iPhone and Android, according to Windows IT Pro.

If history is any guide, the big marketing push planned won’t guarantee big phone sales. Microsoft reportedly lavished up to $500 million on advertising around the launch of Windows Phone handsets last year only to see consumers continue to flock to models made by its two major mobile rivals. Since then, Microsoft has lost further market share to Apple and Google among smartphone platforms.