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Karbonn Mobiles to Launch Dual-OS Smartphones Running both Windows Phone and Android

 

We’ve all heard the phrase “best of both worlds” and Karbonn Mobiles, an Indian smartphone manufacturer is going be bringing that ethos to smartphones this Summer. The Indian manufacturer has signed an agreement with Microsoft that will allow them to produce and sell smartphones that run Windows Phone 8 and Android, on the same device. On the face of things, this doesn’t sound like much, after all golden-oldies like the HTC HD2 have been able to pull this trick for some time now. However, dual-booting different ROMs or entirely too different platforms has been the reserve of techies and hobbyists due to licensing issues and such. We’ve already heard that Microsoft is keen for manufacturers to create devices that run both Windows Phone and Android and now, Karbonn Mobiles looks to be one of the first to bring such a device to market.

As the Times of India is reporting, the company recently signed an agreement with Microsoft that allows them to sell dual-boot smartphones. Speaking of the newly signed agreement, the company’s Chairman, Sudhir Hasija, said that Microsoft have “eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players”. This is not only good news for Microsoft, but also for Karbonn as they’ll be able to sell one more type of device in their home market of India.

These devices make it abundantly clear that Microsoft is looking to get new users into the Windows Phone ecosystem no matter what. When Windows Phone launched, Microsoft promised a tightly controlled platform that they would license out to others and keep sole control of. However, since then we’ve seen the likes of Nokia mold the OS to suit their needs and now devices like these are hitting the market. Of course, we have to wonder how much time people would want spend in Windows Phone and in Android and vice-versa. After all, Windows Phone is strugglign to match the app selection of Google’s OS. However, there’s no denying that Windows Phone might be of more use to those in a business environment, a sector that Karbonn says they’ll be targeting with these new devices. There’s not too much info ofn these right now, but the devices are said to launch this Summer, sometime in June or July.