South Korean electronics company Samsung is reportedly planning to develop a new tablet computer that runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system (OS).
The Korea Economic Daily, citing a source familiar with the matter, reporte that Samsung is planning to use the Windows 8 OS platform for a new tablet that is slated to be launched at Microsoft’s BUILD developers’ conference in California from September 13-16.
The source said, "This new product manufactured by Samsung will be the company’s first collaboration with Microsoft in its hardware devices."
So far, Samsung has used Google’s Android platform on its tablet computers, including the Galaxy series, which has been accused by Apple of "slavishly copying" iPhone features.
Last month, Google bought Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn and became a potential competitor to companies such as Samsung. The deal had prompted concerns about whether Motorola will get preferential treatment over other Android phone makers such as Samsung and HTC as well.
Responding to the deal, Nokia CEO and former Microsoft employee Stephen Elop had said that the deal should be worrying for Android phone makers.
Elop said: "If I happened to be someone who was an Android manufacturer or an operator, or anyone with a stake in that environment, I would be picking up my phone and calling certain executives at Google and say ‘I see signs of danger ahead.’"
Microsoft launched its Windows Phone 7 smartphone in November 2010. Nokia signed a software partnership with Microsoft earlier this year.
Elop also suggested that the deal added more weight to the decision the company took in February to sign a software partnership deal with Microsoft, which the companies claimed would result in a new global mobile ecosystem.
"The very first reaction I had was very clearly the importance of the third ecosystem and the importance of the partnership that we announced on February 11, it is more clear than ever before," Elop said.
