If smartphones and tablets evolved to become phablets, Windows Phone and Androids may soon have a hybrid -- Windroids?
Reports have surfaced that dual-boot smartphones may be rolling out the assembly line of Huawei. While the manufacturer plans to use the mobile operating system of Microsoft, it is inclined to load its hardware with Android, too.
"We are still committed to making Windows Phone devices. Compared with Android, the priority of Windows Phone is much lower but is still one of our choices of OS. We are definitely using a multi OS strategy," chief marketing officer of Huawei Shao Yang told technology blog TrustedReviews.
While the Huawei executive hinted that the Windows Phone just comes second to Google's mobile platform, he hinted that the having a dual setup might make the company's handsets more appealing to consumers.
"If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone. If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone. We think the dual OS can be a new choice for the consumer. It will be on sale in the US in Q2," Yang added.
Microsoft is still struggling to catch up with Apple and Google in the mobile phone industry but it has been making strides in its own right. Last year, the Windows Phone just had a 3.6 percent share of the global market but the number represented a 150 percent year over year improvement.
There have also been reports that Microsoft is veering away from its software licensing business model by offering handset manufacturers free license to use its software.
"Last month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft announced that more phone makers, including two from India - Lava and Karbonn - will produce Windows Phone devices in the coming months. Both companies already make Android devices using Google's mobile OS which is free to use. Their Windows Phone devices are likely to hit the market in the next few months," Times of India reported.
Sources familiar with the negotiations that allegedly happened in 2013 informed the said publication. The deal with the Indian firms were only sealed when the technology giant gave its green light to strike out any licensing fees.
How much Microsoft charges handset manufacturers for its software has not been disclosed but there were reports that it charged Nokia at least $20 for every Lumia device that will run on Windows Phone platform.
Microsoft has not commented about the details of the deals with phone makers in India.
