Big changes could be in store for Windows Phone. Hot on the heels of claims that Microsoft hasfor some OEMs, a Huawei executive, in an interview, revealed plans to launch a Windows Phone-Android hybrid smartphone later this year.
"We are still committed to making Windows Phone devices," Shao Yang, Huawei's CMO, told TrustedReviews.com in an published Wednesday. The executive countered, however, that Android devices are a higher priority, and that a "dual OS" strategy might be necessary.
"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," he said, adding that Huawei will debut a dual OS device in the US in the second quarter.
If Android could represent one way forward for Microsoft, a new licensing structure might represent another. With Windows platforms still far behind in the mobile race, many OEMs have turned to Android and Chrome devices for new business. Numerous reports over the last year claim Microsoft has discussed reducing or eliminating license fees to incentivize manufacturers to stick with Windows. The company has not commented on such reports, though it recently confirmed updates for both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone will arrive this spring.If Android could represent one way forward for Microsoft, a new licensing structure might represent another. With Windows platforms still far behind in the mobile race, many OEMs have turned to Android and Chrome devices for new business. Numerous reports over the last year claim Microsoft has discussed reducing or eliminating license fees to incentivize manufacturers to stick with Windows. The company has not commented on such reports, though it recently confirmed updates for both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone will arrive this spring.
