Barcelona:Microsoft Corp, with the help of Windows Phone software, is aiming for far wider audience in the market of smartphones. Currently, Microsoft's Vice President for handset makers, Nick Parker said ‘The changes have attracted a range of new handset makers to build Windows Phones, including South Korea's LG Electronics India's Xola and Karbonn, and ZTE ZXXTE.UL, Foxconn, Lenovo, Gionee and Longcheer.’
"We are open for business on Windows Phone to anyone who wants to build a Windows phone," said Parker at Mobile World Congress trade fair on Sunday.
The sub-$100 smartphone market, however, is dominated by Google's Android operating system, which has lower licensing costs, is more adaptable by device makers, and runs on more, and cheaper, chip sets that run radio and other functions. Android phones from dozens of handset makers accounted for almost four out of every five smartphones sold, or 781.2 million units, last year, according to Strategy Analytics.
Some of the Windows Phone standards would also be eased, he said. Microsoft had previously kept a tight grip on hardware specifications, for example insisting on three physical buttons, to create a uniform Windows Phone user experience, regardless of handset maker.
Belgiore said, ’Microsoft was investing in improvements that would help handset makers get Windows Phone on devices at ‘lower costs in terms of manufacturing, licensing and those sorts of things’. Microsoft is just about to close a deal to buy Nokia's handset business for $7.2 billion. HTC and Samsung also make Windows Mobile devices.
"We will continue to have those iconic devices from our deep partners, but also we'll see an emergence of a lot more of what we call white label phones, maybe operators' phone themselves, retailers' phones," said Parker.
‘It would update its Windows 8.1 operating system, which runs on PCs and tablets, in the coming months after research found traditional keyboard users were less satisfied with the software than previous versions of Windows.’ stated Microsoft
