If a new report is correct, Alcatel OneTouch could be planning to launch a 10-inch tablet that will use the next major update for Windows Phone, rather than the PC-based version of Windows.
Freelance journalist Tim Anderson has posted an article with quotes from Dan Dery, the VP and CMO at Alcatel OneTouch, during an interview conducted at IFA 2014 last week. In the interview Dery stated:
"Rumour has it that the Windows Phone is going to be available on tablet kind-of form factor on ARM chipset, and we are going to be first in doing that. For example we are developing a 10 inch tablet which has this Magic Flip technology for the keypad with trackpad."
There have been reports that Microsoft plans to merge Windows Phone with Windows RT for its next major version, which may be launched alongside the next Windows release for PCs, code named "Threshold". Indeed, a recent report on ZDNet claimed, via unnamed sources, that a preview version of Threshold that will run on ARM and Windows Phone devices could be released in early 2015.
However, today's article from Anderson isn't entirely clear if Dery means Alcatel OneTouch will release a tablet that runs on Windows Phone, Windows RT, or the PC port of Threshold. Keep in mind that Dery's first language is French and there could be some translation issues. Finally, it could be months before this product is officially announced, let alone released, or it may never come out.
Dery is also quoted on comparing Windows Phone to Android, stating that in his opinion Windows Phone is more efficient than Google's OS in terms of its use in low end devices. Dery said:
"It is the case. It was not a few months ago. There is a big advantage which is the memory footprint. This OS is meant to run with rather low memory, which is not the case in Android. You have far less overhead the day you switch on your device. Android is fantastic but in some countries, the day you switch it on you download a size of apps and services which obviously has a toll on the memory footprint, on the processing capability. That's less the case on Windows Phone."
Alcatel OneTouch released a Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone in 2012 but the company decided to bypass making a phone for Windows Phone 8. What do you think about the possibility of a 10 inch tablet that uses Windows Phone instead of the PC version of Windows?
Source: Tim Anderson's ITWriting via Neowin
