A select but growing band of Windows Mobile users in the UK can now browse and buy a range of content by accessing XOmobo – a .mobi portal specifically targeting the burgeoning smartphone market.

According to the number crunchers at M:metrics 6.6 per cent of UK mobile users – about 5 million users – now own a smartphone, while analyst Canalys reckons 64 million smartphones were shipped globally in 2006.

The number of smartphones may well be on the rise, but the creation of a portal seems an oddly dated move. Operator branded portals have largely disappointed and vendor sites have been similarly ineffective in the push to drive up content consumption.

XOmobo’s USP is that it is targeting the niche smartphone market. Not ordinarily a type of market that content owners are attracted too.

Initially launching with content and applications designed for Windows Mobile devices (both Pocket PC and smartphone editions), XOmobo will be launching content for Symbian, Palm and Blackberry in the coming months.