BIRMINGHAM, U.K.-Microsoft has taken a stake in U.K. mobile handset newcomer Sendo Holdings. Microsoft’s smart phone platform, code named Stinger, is used on Sendo’s Z100 smart phone, set to launch at the end of the year or early in 2002.
The value of the stake was not released.
The Z100 is a General Packet Radio Service tri-band phone that includes HTML, c-HTML and Wireless Applications Protocol phone browsers. Sendo said it is planning to test the phone with several operators, and the maturity of GPRS networks will determine its rollout timeframe.
“Sendo has set up its operations and its supply chain in such a way that it allows operators to differentiate themselves and generate more revenues, while at the same time offering them shorter supply times and branding opportunities,” said Ben Waldman, vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Devices Division.
