In an interview to The Wall Street Journal, an Asus exec revealed that its company is “in talks” with Microsoft over licensing Windows Phone 8. No details were given but we do expect to see the first product running Microsoft’s mobile platform by the end of this year. We don’t have any inside information or something; it’s just that both the Redmond giant and Asus could benefit from expanding their respective offerings.
But that’s not all, the Taiwanese vendor’s VP Benson Lin hinted that they could bring new form factors to the platform, like… drums please… the Padfone. Here’s what he said:
With our Padfone concept, the phone plus tablet, I think it makes sense for Windows 8.
That’s not a confirmation that a Windows Phone-powered Padfone is in works, but it’s a move in that direction… so we’ll take it for “yes.” The only problem we see is how that would actually work. As I’m writing this, Windows Phone 8 and Windows RT are two different platforms, and if Microsoft doesn’t do something to bring them closer together, a Padfone-like device is not possible with Windows Phone.
As usual, we’ll keep our eyes on this story and let you know as soon as we hear something worth sharing…
[Via: Engadget]