The French phone manufacturer SAGEM is betting on Europe with its uniform GSM protocol rather than North America with its multiple network protocols in which to release the first dual-band GSM / GPRS phone-enabled PocketPC, SAGEM WA3050.

With so many standards in the U.S., its too risky to bring a device like the WA3050 to the U.S., remarked Adam Anger, Business Manager, Mobile Devices Group at Microsoft.

The SAGEM WA3050 offers the best features of the PocketPC platform along with those of a high-end mobile phone in a single device. Unlike some PocketPCs, the WA3050 offers wireless access to applications and services without the need for expansion jackets, cable hook-ups, or infrared connections.

• 16 MB of memory
• High resolution, grayscale touch screen interface
• Preloaded Pocket versions of Microsoft applications, such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and Internet Explorer
• Windows Media Player
• Speakphone capabilities
• Dual band support for GSM and GPRS protocols
• Real-time access to e-mail and contacts
• Internet access to all standard Web sites and WAP sites
• Access to business applications

SAGEM foresees the WA3050 as becoming "the device of the financial sector," where day traders and financial investors demand secure wireless access to real-time financial information.