READING, United Kingdom—Nokia Corp. has taken the lead in the European handheld device market, beating out such big names as Palm Inc. and Compaq Computer Corp, a new survey shows.
According to research firm Canalys, Nokia commands 28.3 percent of the smart phone and personal digital assistant market, while operating system provider Symbian controls 34 percent of the OS market. Nokia and Symbian charged into the lead for the first time through Nokia’s new 9210 Communicator smart phone device.
“Some may be surprised to see Nokia, and hence Symbian, at the top of the table,” said Canalys senior analyst Chris Jones. “But the indications were there earlier in the year. Nokia has several advantages over the handheld vendors in Europe. For one, it has great relationships with the mobile network operators and access to vast numbers of phone sales outlets across Europe, not to mention the corporate phone channels. Businesses are buying these devices as well as consumers.”
