HTC has seemingly fallen in love with Google’s Android mobile operating system – they’ve been launching Android phones left and right, as of late – but the company that got its start building smartphones powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform hasn’t forgotten its roots. At Mobile World Congress, HTC CEO Peter Chou reiterated his company’s commitment to all things Windows Phone. That’s good news for Windows Phone fans, especially considering the impressive new Windows Phone 7 Series user interface that Microsoft demonstrated at Mobile World Congress.
“Our commitment to Microsoft has never changed,” said HTC Chief Peter Chou, adding that HTC is “very committed to Android as well. We are very long-term committed to those two.” It’s clear that HTC is keeping their options open (and why shouldn’t they – Android is gaining steam and Windows Phone has proven that Microsoft still has a future in the smartphone space).
Last week, HTC unveiled three new phones in Barcelona, two of which were Android phones. The single Windows Mobile device that was announced is a miniaturized version of HTC’s HTC HD2, aptly called the HTC HD Mini. The bite-sized Windows Phone will run on Windows Mobile OS 6.5.3, which basically represents the last stop on the upgrade roadmap for “Windows Mobile.” The good news for Windows Mobile fans is that, going forward, HTC will apparently make room for Windows Phone 7 Series handsets in their increasingly Android-heavy smartphone lineup. HTC’s commitment to Windows Phone should also be good news to Microsoft, as it will guarantee Microsoft a sizable partner willing to pay licensing fees to use the Windows Phone platform.
We had a chance to play around with a preview of Windows Phone 7 Series, and we have to give Microsoft due credit for creating a truly innovative UI that provides an intuitive user experience. Check out the video here and let us know what you think!
[Via: Reuters]