In a very uncharacteristic move, Microsoft will allow Indian smartphone maker Karbonn Mobile to make a series of dual-boot smartphones, running both Android and Windows Phone.
Although dual-boot devices are becoming more popular among PC and tablet makers, these upcoming, dual-boot handsets from Karbonn Mobile will be the first of their kind.
At Mobile World Congress 2014, Microsoft announced that Karbonn Mobile and several other new manufacturers would be releasing smartphones with Windows Phone OS onboard this year. Then, over the weekend the Times of India reported that Karbonn plans to release several dual-boot smartphones with both Android and Windows Phone installed. Karbonn says that it signed a licencing agreement with Microsoft to make its dream of dual-boot smartphones a reality.
"Microsoft has eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players. We signed the agreement two days ago and will launch a range of Windows Phones in about three months," said Karbonn chairman Sudhir Hasija.
The dual-boot smartphones will reportedly arrive this June, but next to nothing is known about them so far. Hasija stated that Karbonn's new smartphones will be targeted at the tech-savvy, office-going modern customer. The dual-boot smartphones will most likely run the long-awaited Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 OS update, but it is unknown which version of Android the handsets will sport. The probability of the handsets running Android 4.4 KitKat is pretty low, though.
Dual-boot devices are becoming more and more popular among customers who love Android, but are still interested in what Windows has to offer. Many tech enthusiasts consider dual-boot PCs and tablets with both Android and Windows 8 onboard the best of both worlds. These devices offer the huge app selection and easy-to-use interface of Android combined with the computing power and desktop applications of Windows 8. On PCs and tablets, the combination of Windows and Android works well because the two operating systems compliment each other, each bringing to the table what the other one lacks.
As far as a dual-boot smartphone goes, it remains unclear how the two OS options would benefit users. The advantages for Microsoft, however, are quite clear. Most Android users don't really have any incentive to leave Android for Windows Phone, but they might be curious enough about Windows Phone that they want to try it out on a dual-boot device. That's a good thing for Microsoft because it introduces new users to the Windows Phone OS, who might not have taken a look at it otherwise. As Windows Phone improves and its app selection grows, dual-boot devices might entice customers to make the switch from Android to Windows Phone.
Microsoft needs to give Windows Phone a bit of a push if it wants the new OS to be successful. Dual-boot Android devices could be just the ticket, especially in emerging markets like India where the smartphone market is still forming.
