- Windows Mobile Phones - Ireland?
- Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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I recently received the Christmas Vodafone (Ireland) brochure and was once again dismayed at the lack of Windows Mobile devices available.
I was curious to see what Windows devices were currently available through the major networks in Ireland and below are my results which I taken from their websites (this list may not be comprehensive, as stores may carry a slightly different selection):
Vodafone.ie:
Palm Treo Pro
Vodafone v1520
Samsung i20002.ie:
Samsung i780Meteor.ie
No devicesThree.ie
HTC TyTNIII had thought with the introduction of the iPhone to the Irish market earlier this year (sold through O2), that the other networks would quickly introduce some of the really exciting devices such as the HTC Touch series to offer a compelling alternative for users. This seems to be what has happened in the US and Asia.
You can buy HTC devices in Ireland through independent retailers such as Expansys.ie (although HTC does not include Ireland on their list of places to purchase phones - see screenshot below). I am curious as to why Ireland is so behind with new Windows Mobile devices, when all the latest Nokias are readily available through all the networks and would love to hear any reasons to why Windows Mobile is so poorly represented in the Irish market.
Although, Ireland may seem like a small market, mobile phone usage in Ireland is the largest in Europe per head of population. A recent survey of the Irish communications market showed that there are 3.4 million mobile phones in Ireland, and the average user sends 82 text messages per month.
Almost all of my friends have now upgraded to either a Blackberry or iPhone (not one has a Windows Mobile) and it seems like such a missed opportunity for Microsoft in association with the carriers not to be targeting this relatively tech-savvy market who are used to getting new devices frequently. All these people use a PC at home and work, so it would seem to me anyway, a perfect chance for Microsoft to illustrate the easy integration of your phone with your PC life and vice versa. It does make life frustrating for those who are working hard to develop new and interesting products for the platform and more marketing and general awareness of the platform is desperately required to make it a viable alternative to the ubiquitous iPhone/Blackberry.