14 DAY TRIAL // While all companies that previously announced plans to launch dual-OS (Windows Phone / Android) devices now backtrack on their statements, Indian OEM Micromax is determined to keep the promise made a few weeks ago and launch a dual-OS tablet in India.
Micromax is not among the Indian OEMs that signed an agreement last month with Microsoft for the release of Windows Phone devices, but one of the company’s officials has confirmed that his company is still in talks with Microsoft and will come forward with an announcement very soon.
Windows Phone fans in India should know that Microsoft announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 trade fair that it had signed partnerships for Windows Phone with nine OEMs: Foxconn, Gionee, JSR, Karbonn, Lava (Xolo), Lenovo, LG, Longcheer and ZTE.
Some of these companies (LG, ZTE) launched Windows Phone devices in the past, but it looks like they felt the need to reiterate their support for Microsoft’s mobile platform.
Micromax Co-founder Vikas Jain has told Times of India that his company is still working on brining Windows Phone devices on the Indian market, but details on when exactly we will see the first ones arriving on the market are a bit scarce for the moment.
However, Jain did say that Micromax would definitely launch its dual OS (Windows / Android) LapTab device next month, thus dismissing any news of the tablet’s removal from the company’s roadmap.
All companies that have announced plans to launch dual-OS smartphones in the coming months have recently backtracked and have said that their vision for Windows Phone and Android markets is now different and that they will not be launching such devices anymore.
These statements come after Microsoft and Google put pressure on handset makers to prevent them from launching dual-OS devices. It appears that they were successful, at least partially, as Micromax will still go ahead with its plans for the LapTab hybrid.
Micromax’s LapTab is a laptop/tablet hybrid that is said to run both Android and Windows operating systems. The device will feature a 10.1-inch screen that supports 1280 x 800 pixels resolution.
Hardware-wise, the LapTab will come equipped with a 1.46GHz dual-core Intel N2805 processor, as well as 2GB of RAM. It will also pack either 32GB or 64GB of storage, depending on the model.
In the same piece of news, Karbonn and Lava have already announced that they will launch Windows Phone handsets in the coming months, which will be priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 12,000.