14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s highly-anticipated project called Andromeda (and referred to by many as Surface Phone) will land in the form of a “pocketable device,” according to internal emails and documents that got leaked during the weekend.
While no specifics reached the web, a report from The Verge indicates that this new Surface mobile device will use a dual-screen design that will allow for several form factors, with Microsoft trying to reduce the gap between smartphones and PCs. This is why the mobile in mobile device doesn't represent a smartphone, but a term to define a new category placed between phones and PCs in terms of productivity.
“It’s a new pocketable Surface device form factor that brings together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience,” Microsoft is being cited as saying in the internal emails that got leaked.
The purpose of this project is the same as in the case of other Surface models: to create a new product category that would eventually be embraced by Microsoft’s partners as well.
Launch later this year
The cited source indicates that the existing design of this new pocketable Surface looks very similar to the concept published last December by David Breyer and imagining several form factors powered by the said innovative design. Depending on the orientation of the two screens, Andromeda could be used in tablet mode, tent, and even as a laptop if one screen doubles as a keyboard.
Existing prototypes are also said to be sporting phone capabilities, though it’s not yet clear if Microsoft would offer a dedicated phone form factor or not.
Microsoft is currently experimenting with ARM processors, but a decision in this regard hasn’t been made for the time being, so the software giant is yet to choose between Intel and Qualcomm for this project.
The new Surface device should see daylight by the end of the year, yet Microsoft isn’t sharing any specific details. The company, however, could kill off the project quietly at any given moment if it does not advance as planned.
If Andromeda does launch, Microsoft wants to use it as a pioneer of this new category, then allowing partners to build similar devices based on the same design idea.
