Psion beats Microsoft to Ericsson and Nokia deal

NEWS Psion has fought back against Microsoft by teaming up with Ericsson and Nokia. Through the joint venture - dubbed Symbian - Psion will supply its Epoc operating system to the two Scandinavian telecoms giants, who will use it for smartphones and other mobile devices. Some observers were surprised that Microsoft's Windows CE platform wasn't selected by the equipment manufacturers, but Theresa Torris, director of European new media analysis at Forrester Research, told NMTV: "Epoc is a proven operating system, and it is as good as, if not superior to, Windows CE." Microsoft CE-based handhelds, along with 3Com PalmPilots, are considered a major threat to the long-term success of Psion's hand-held computers. Windows CE has also found its way into set-top boxes, and Microsoft has said it would like to see it become a standard for consumer devices. But Torris said: "What does CE offer the world of mobile telephony? The answer is not much." She added that Windows CE, although much slimmer than other Microsoft operating systems, is generally considered too big for mobile phones. Other analysts have pointed to at least two other reasons why Psion was successful. Firstly, the Psion Dacom division specialises in communications devices and through its cooperation with the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Consortium it was already well placed. Secondly, GSM (Global System Mobile) is a standard which came out of Europe, and which has never been close to the heart of a lot of hi-tech companies in the US.