Asus 'interested' in making a Windows Phone
https://latestsnewsforyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/asus-interested-in-making-windows-phone.html
Summary: In a recent interview, an Asus executive hinted that the firm is "interested" in pursuing the idea of offering Windows-based phones.
Benson Lin, corporate vice president of mobile communication products at Asus, hinted that the Taiwanese PC maker is interested in the idea of offering Windows Phones.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (paywall), the Asus executive said that the company is "in talks" with Microsoft over potential licensing deals that would offer Windows mobile phones to consumers. In addition, Lin said that Asustek -- well-known as Asus -- is "interested in making Windows Phones," although no timeline to that effect was mentioned.
The executive didn't stop there, and also considered the idea of using the company's Padfone concept in relation to the Windows operating system.
"With our Padfone concept, the phone plus tablet, I think it makes sense for Windows 8," said Lin.
The Padfone, officially announced at World Mobile Congress in 2012, is an Android-based smartphone which comes with an optional docking station which transforms the mobile device into a 10.1" tablet. Although the Windows OS does not support such flexibility when it comes to screensize, perhaps Lin was implying that a dual-device setup could be a profitable venture to expand the appeal of a Windows Phone, although manufacturers currently have to pick between the Windows Phone or Windows 8 OS on mobile gadgets.
PC makers have begun tapping into the mobile space over the past several years, unsurprising considering that mobile technology shipments -- including smartphones and tablets -- are growing at a rapid pace. Research firm IDC estimates that approximately 89.8 million PC units were shipped worldwide last quarter -- worse than the predicted 4.4 percent decline -- and the overall entire tablet market grew by 49.5 percent over the last year.
Source zdnet.com
