Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) will adopt a two-pronged approach to the mobile operating system market that will be able to compete against both the iPhone and Android, according to a report in DigiTimes that claims to know Microsoft’s Windows Mobile roadmap.

Taiwan handset maker sources said that Microsoft is expected to officially launch Windows Mobile 6.5 on Oct. 1, 2009, and will upgrade the platform in February 2010 with a “touch interface.” This OS will drop in price in the fourth quarter of 2010, which will allow it to compete better with open-source OS’s, like Android, LiMo and Symbian. While those platforms are free, Microsoft continues to charge a fairly steep licensing fee for its platform. When 6.5 drops in price, Microsoft will launch its high-end Windows Mobile 7 platform, which is supposed to compete with the iPhone.

It’s a good idea to keep the 6.5 version out for awhile after Windows 7 is released, especially since Microsoft is working hard to get developers to build applications for it (developers will want to know the platform will exist for more than a year). And while, the fourth quarter of 2010 seems like a ridiculously long time for Microsoft to come out with its answer to the iPhone, you can’t discount the corporate behemoth, which has nothing but time and money to do something right.