Sendo dumps Microsoft for Symbian

IN A SOMEWHAT remarkable volte face, Sendo said today it has terminated its agreement to use Microsoft Smartphone 2002 for its Z100 mobile phone.

It's remarkable because Microsoft owns a chunk of Sendo, but that doesn't seem to be sufficient reason to use what sources at the company tell us is kludgy software.

Here's the very terse statement the firm released: "Sendo today announces that Sendo has terminated its Smartphone development program(s) utilising Microsoft Windows for Smartphone 2002 Software".

Instead, Sendo said it has licensed Nokia's Series 60 platform for its smart phones.

The Z100, pictured left, and which was launched last week, with some reviewers getting handsets, will apparently be discontinued. This product was delayed several times before.

Why? Because "the platform utilises open standards and technologies, such as MMS and Java, jointly developed by the industry," said Hugh Brogan, MD of the company.

Further, it's "robust, and uniquely flexible," he said. Rather implying that Microsoft's software isn't.

Sendo joins Matsushita, Samsung, Siemens and Nokia itself in supporting the Symbian OS. µ