Huawei looking to hop onto the Windows Phone / Android dual-boot bandwagon
It wasn’t long ago that we learned about the first manufacturer looking to bring us a dual-boot phone that runs both Android and Windows Phone. That company was Karbonn, an Indian manufacturer who seems to have gotten a rather surprising blessing from Microsoft to go through with it.
But they aren’t alone, and we imagine this trend won’t die anytime soon. Huawei is looking to do the same, according to the latest reports from TrustedReviews. Chief Marketing Officer Shao Yang revealed the company’s aspirations in an interview.
With Windows Phone, one direction for us – and one that we are now following – is dual OS. Dual OS as in Android and Windows together.
Yang also mentioned that Android would definitely be their main focus on the thing, with Windows’ presence likely to play the supporting role. That’s not much of a surprise considering Android is the world’s leading mobile operating system.
Huawei says they are always looking at every new platform and want to get their hands into as much as possible, but are uncomfortable with releasing phones with Windows alone. It’s natural for a company to be wary of straying far from a gameplan that’s worked for them, so their ability to offer two platforms on one device is quite convenient.
Recent reports suggest this could be an uphill battle for Huawei, Karbonn and any other manufacturer looking to introduce dual-boot systems. ASUS was apparently pressured to cancel the Transformer Duet TD300, a laptop that dual-boots Android and Windows, and can switch between the two in mere seconds on the fly.
We’re not sure if those rumors are true, but considering we haven’t heard a word about the device since its announcement back in January there is reason to be concerned. And even if Google did condemn ASUS’ latest brainchild, who’s to say they feel the same about phones?
It’s those reasons why Karbonn and Huawei’s offerings will be looked at closely, as they could eventually shape the next step in the evolution of the mobile market. Huawei revealed that the new smartphone would go on sale Q2 2012, though there weren’t any other details to be had as of the time of this writing.