Huawei expects to join the growing list of handset makers supporting Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 7 platform, a Huawei executive said. If Huawei were to join the list of Windows Phone supporters, Microsoft would have eight OEMs supporting the "Mango" version of its platform, which will be released this fall.
Victor Xu, Huawei's chief marketing officer for devices, said Huawei is currently "just watching" the development of Windows Phone and has had discussions with Microsoft, though he said the company will "probably" release a Windows Phone device next year, according to ZDNet.
Earlier this week, in officially unveiling its Mango software update, Microsoft confirmed existing licensees HTC, LG, Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and Samsung will release Mango Windows Phone devices, as will new licensees Acer, Fujitsu and Huawei's Chinese rival ZTE.
According to ABI Research, ZTE was the sixth-largest handset OEM in the world in the first quarter in terms of shipments; Huawei was the eighth largest. Both companies have been moving into smartphones during the past year, primarily focusing on Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform.
In other Microsoft news, Microsoft executives will preview the next version of Windows designed for tablets next week at two separate industry events, according to a Bloomberg report, which cited three unnamed sources. The report said the executives will demonstrate tablets running Nvidia's Tegra chipset line. A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment, according to Bloomberg.
For more:
- see this ZDNet article
- see this Bloomberg article
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