Garmin and Asus are calling it quits next year, and that may allow Asus to revisit Android to make a smartphone worth buying. According to rumors, Asus may be putting Windows Phone 7 on the back burner to focus on Google’s mobile OS.
We know Asus has been working on a Windows Phone 7 device for a while now, but if it does make it to market, it may be the only one for the time being.
Marketing manager at ASUSTeK South Africa, Steven Tu, had this to say about where they are headed,
As always, Garmin-Asus seeks the best for our consumers either on Android platform or on Windows platform. However, we see the potential of Android platform devices, so we are focusing on Android platform currently,
That’s not necessarily bad news for Windows Phone 7, but it looks like they are doing the same as many other manufacturers, and playing the wait and see game. Android is already a pretty big success, so it seems natural that one would want to give it a try, especially after seeing just how badly previous attempts have failed. This gives Asus a chance to right what Garmin had wronged with the Garminfone, and show people just what Asus can do with Android.
We doubt we’ll never see a more Windows Phone 7 devices from Asus, but they may show up sometime next year, when consumers really know what to expect from the OS. It may still be just a 1.0 OS, but it’s definitely easy on the eyes, and if adoption goes well, Asus may have to re-focus, yet again. But as of right now, their going Android, along with many other handset makers these days. Given the massive growth of the OS, who can blame them?
Windows Phone 7 may have the sleekness that Android lacks, but Google’s OS has a following that’s hard to ignore, and having a much larger application selection will likely help as well.
[Via: WPCentral]