Earlier this week during Microsoft’s Windows Phone Mango event, we learned that new hardware partners were joining the software company for WP7 devices. Now it looks like Huawei, a ZTE competitor, is looking to get into the Windows Phone market itself. The Chinese manufacturer says that it is currently watching the Windows Phone market unfold and develop, and might start developing phones for the platform in 2012.
ZTE revealed its own Windows Phone intentions on Tuesday, when Microsoft detailed the upcoming ‘Mango’ update to Windows Phone 7. ZTE and Huawei are strong rivals both within China and globally, where they dominate the markets for mobile broadband and for operator-branded low-end smartphones.
The entry of ZTE into the manufacturing of Windows Phones makes it more likely that the platform will become available on cheaper phones than at present.
Windows Phone 7 devices today are mostly on the high end, so perhaps with the entry of the Chinese manufacturers, who produce a lot of low-end and affordable devices, WP7 handsets will cover a broader spectrum in terms of cost and affordability.
[Via: ZDNet]