First dual-boot Windows and Android smartphone scheduled for this year

The Times of India is reporting that Indian phone manufacturer Karbonn Mobiles is planning to release dual-boot devices as early as June, which will run both Windows Phone and Android. It wasn’t too long ago that we heard the first news about Intel’s quick switching dual-boot technology, and although we don’t yet know if Karbonn is planning to make use of Intel’s technology or not, the idea of dual-booting Android and Windows is one which seems to be gaining momentum.

The company has recently signed the licensing agreement with Microsoft to develop Windows-based phones, which it will then place alongside Google’s Android operating system.

”Microsoft has eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players. We signed the agreement two days ago and will launch a range of Windows phones in about three months,” Sudhir Hasija, Karbonn Chairman

Whilst dual-booting Android and Windows on a laptop or tablet has clear advantages for business users, it’s not quite so clear what advantages dual-boot has on a smartphone, although the devices will apparently be targeted at professionals and tech-savy individuals. My guess is that this is actually a very beneficial arrangement for Microsoft, whereby Windows Phone users to have access to the huge range of popular Android apps, Android being the most popular mobile operating system in India. This could turn out to be a way into emerging markets for Microsoft’s more expensive operating system.

We don’t know anything about the hardware, price, or regional availability of such a dual-boot Android device yet. It’s going to be interesting to see how this trend develops over the next couple of years.

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