Willcom Ties With Sharp,Microsoft In Japan Smartphone Operations"

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Telecom service provider Willcom Inc. said Thursday it will team up with Sharp Corp. (6753.TO) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) to launch the first Japanese handheld communications device using the latest "Windows Mobile" operating system.

From early December, Willcom will begin sales in Japan of the device "W-ZERO3," which is made by Sharp.

The provider of personal handyphone system, or PHS, services said it will be the first company in Japan's telecom industry to use the Microsoft operating system in one of its products. "Windows Mobile" is an operating system specifically designed for mobile products.

Microsoft is trying hard to sell its Windows software used in non-PC areas such as mobile phones, handheld computers and digital consumer electronics goods. But it hasn't had much success in Japan.

The U.S. software giant hopes to explore the Japanese market by allying with Willcom, an operator of flat-rate PHS services, and Sharp, a major Japanese player for personal digital assistants, or PDAs.

The W-ZERO3 is also equipped with a 3.7-inch high-definition liquid crystal display and a 1.3-megapixel digital still camera.

Willcom said the device will be useful for business customers, who need to communicate with field staff.

-By Kanji Ishibashi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2929; kanji.ishibashi@dowjones.com
-Edited by Shawn Schroter

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 20th October 2005