DoCoMo teams with HTC forWindows OS Handsets

The RED HERRING reports that NTT DoCoMo will sell Windows Mobile handsets from High Tech Computer (HTC). DoCoMo, which has been a Linux supporter, could be bowing to pressure from enterprise customers to provide Windows handsets.

Todd Kort at Gartner said, "The Japanese smart phone market has really been strongly favoring Linux thus far, and Windows Mobile really hasn’t done very well over there yet. It’s a little bit of a change for DoCoMo to suddenly support the Microsoft platform."

Kort added, "It sounds like a nice breakthrough for Microsoft, but it remains to be seen how well it will do. [DoCoMo] is testing the waters, seeing what the demand might be, and trying to find out whether it’s real."

According to HTC, "DoCoMo plans to begin selling the phone in the second half of this year."