195 million smartphones to be shipped in 2008

With the increasing market size in Asia, Symbian and Microsoft both will target China and Japan to further boost their market shares in the region, said Digitimes.

According to Symbian, nine out of the 15 Symbian-based handsets launched by its handset partners in the third quarter of this year were targeting markets in Japan and China.

Accumulated sales of Symbian-based handsets in Japan have surpassed 30 million units, accounting for 72% of Japan's smartphone segment, Symbian said.

Symbian, which has set up a global R&D center in Beijing, said that 12% of global production of Symbian handsets is currently shipped to China, with Symbian-based models now accounting for 60% of China's smartphone market.