Microsoft is looking to align its product strategy to the minimalist tendencies of the market. In this context, the Redmond Company has unveiled a combo between a PC and a mobile phone that Microsoft will use to respond to the necessity of low-end computing devices on emerging markets. Although it has criticized on repeated occasions the minimalist disfiguration of devices by stripping them of all but the essential features, the FonePlus Prototype is a conjunction between a mobile phone and the basic characteristics of a computer. FonePlus conjugates Windows CE operating system onto a phone that delivers keyboard and TV connectivity features. Cost is also a relevant aspect of such a device, with the maximum price tag set as $100. "Many people, including us, have been looking at different ways to lower the cost" of computing, explained Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie. "Clearly one of the things that are just booming globally is the use of the cell phone."

Mundie has argued that combining existing devices like TV and mobile phones with PC features is a much more comprehensive and realistic solution than striving for an actual low-cost machine. Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer also demonstrated FonePlus's multimedia features, word processing capabilities and Web browsing options bundled as scaled-down simplified versions of the similar applications running on PCs.