The presale reservations for Nokia Lumia 710, the first smartphone in Korea running on Microsoft’s new mobile operating system Mango, started Thursday ahead of its release scheduled for Dec. 26.

Windows Phone represents Microsoft’s attempt to establish itself as a viable competitor in the smartphone arena, while its rivals Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android have taken the lead in sales.

The Mango phone, taking the simplified user interface of Windows PC software, features the full functions of Windows office programs, according to KT Corp., the local network operator.

Its some 500 new features include People Hub, which integrates a user’s activities on social network services along with phone calls and text messaging, and Skydrive or Office 365 cloud services, KT said.

The mobile app store Market Place has currently some 40,000 registered apps, with about 3,000 new apps being added every month.

Some Korean popular apps, such as the No. 1 smartphone messenger KakaoTalk, are also scheduled to be loaded within the market early next year.

Customers can choose the handset price fixed at 280,000 won ($242) and 360,000 won, depending the monthly payment system they sign up for two years.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)