SingTel, StarHub and Mobile One testing the waters with Windows Mobile Smartphone

According to ComputerTimes, Mr Hui Weng Cheong, SingTel's vice-president of consumer products, said his company is bringing in a second generation of smart phones possibly by the end of the year. Will it be the Windows Mobile Smartphone 2003 (HTC Tanager)?

The report also lists other operators in Singapore (Mobile-One and StarHub) as interested to sell these smartphones.

One of the positive factors about these smartphones is customisation. SingTel, for example, can have a red, one-touch 'Web' button on its phones.

Still according to this article, Microsoft-powered phones still have to find their feet in a tough market.

Branding is one problem. The phones may be marketed as 'SingTel Smartphones' and Singaporeans who like brands such as Nokia or Motorola may take some convincing, pointed out SingTel's Mr Hui.

Another problem is product support. Nokia and other phone makers usually maintain the required infrastructure for supporting their hardware. When it comes to a customised smartphone operators may have to offer its own technical support.

Mr Andrew Buay, chief operating adviser at Globe Telecom in the Philippines, said that a current lack of applications for the smart phones may slow down their adoption.

He said early versions had to be sold in the country 'almost for free' because many people only knew how to make phone calls with them and were not making use of the 'smart' features.