More competition in Japan for RIM's BlackBerry

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 13 July 2006 02:37

IT Industry - Strategy

NTT DoCoMo and Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC), the worlds' largest manufacturer of Windows-based smartphones, have announced plans to launch in July a handset, 'hTc Z' equipped with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Japanese-edition operating system.
The move follows the launch of the Sharp W-Zero3, the first smartphone in Japan to run the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, on the Willcom network earlier this month. This development was seen as presenting strong competition to RIM's recently announced plans to launch the BlackBerry service through DoCoMo, and the launch by DoCoMo of a Windows Mobile device will ramp up that competition considerably.

Launch of the handset follows a partnership between DoCoMo and HTC announced in January 2006. DoCoMo said at the time that HTC's handset would be "designed to provide mobile solutions for corporate users and contribute greatly to system solutions by synchronising with Windows Server  and Exchange Server to offer messaging and other business support."

DoCoMo plans to start in July selling the handsets to corporate customers as part of its range of business solutions. The hTc Z will be demonstrated at DoCoMo's booth at Wireless Japan 2006 in Tokyo from July 19 to 21. The dual-mode W-CDMA and GSM/GPRS handset will offer voice, video and packet communications compatible with Wireless LAN and will feature a QWERTY keyboard.

In the US, the leading competitor to RIM's Blackberry is Good Technology which offers services on Window Mobile, Symbian and Palm handhelds. It has only just starting to expand beyond the US and does not yet support any language other than English.

However the introduction of Windows based handsets in the huge Japanese market by DoCoMo will clearly make that market attractive.