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Kinpo eyeing PDA phone market

"We are approaching operators for possible handset supply. We believe we'll have substantial results in the second half of next year."

Sinclair Kuo. Kimpo Electronics president

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Kinpo Electronics Inc (金寶電子) yesterday said it aimed to get a share of the world's fast-growing personal digital assistant (PDA) phone market next year by supplying handsets to European and US operators.

Kinpo is one of many Taiwanese companies that hopes to duplicate the successful experience of High Tech Computer Inc (宏達電), which has made big profits from supplying phones to many well-known mobile service operators, including Vodafone.

Kinpo, which started out as a manufacturer of calculators, is a member of the Kinpo Group (金仁寶集團). The group also includes laptop maker Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦) and handset producer Compal Communications Inc (華寶通訊).

"We are approaching operators for possible handset supply. We believe we'll have substantial results in the second half of next year," company president Sinclair Kuo (郭賢明) said.

Kuo made the remarks on the sideline of a press conference to announce that Kimpo is offering a branded handset with built-in software, which is similar to Blackberry's, for Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) subscribers to access their e-mail more easily.

Kuo said his company aims to get one percent of the world's 35 million PDA phone market next year. In other words, Kinpo hopes to sell 350,000 units next year.

Kinpo has to date sold less than 50,000 units after the launch of its first cellphone in mid-August under the "iDo" brand.

That is one of Kinpo's greater efforts to search for new growth areas, as the company's existing business is on the wane, Kuo said.

He said new businesses, including PDA phones and global positioning systems (GPS), will be the fastest-growth areas next year.

Printer manufacturing accounts for the largest portion of Kinpo's revenues at present, Kuo said.

Kinpo makes printers for Hewlett-Packard Co.

Kinpo posted a lower net income of NT$939 million (US$28 million) for the first three quarters of this year, down 30 percent, compared with NT$1.36 billion a year earlier, according to the company's statistics submitted to the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Earnings per share also dropped to NT$0.71 from NT$1.03 during the same period.
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