January 28, 03

An executive at BenQ, Taiwan's largest mobile phone maker, told the local press that the company will use the Symbian OS platform for a smartphone to be lanched in autumn of this year, or maybe later. Other Taiwan smartphone makers all use software developed by Symbian rival Microsoft.

The spokesman said the Symbian platform provides more application support. As BenQ has been manufacturing handsets for years, the company is more dcapable of developing a smartphone around a platform designed by other handset manufacturers, such as industry leaders Nokia, Motorola and Siemens, he said.

In additon to working with mobile phone service providers, the company will also consider ODM orders.

The company will consider to also use Microsoft's smartphone OS for future models, but is not likely to do so before 2004, the executive said.