News · 15 Feb 2011 · MTW Editorial Team
Contrary to Digitime’s fabricated rumors, Asus is not going to shown of or announce any Windows Phone 7 device at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Speaking to Forbes, Asus’ corporate vice president and GM or Mobile Device unit, Benson Lin, stated that the company is still undecided about its future Windows Phone 7 plans. You may remember that the Taiwanese OEM was the first manufacturer to build the Galaxy 6 which was the first WP7 prototype device ever shown and followed up with the Asus E600 developer handset. Unfortunately the lack of carrier demand and the company’s struggle with it’s Garmin Navigation division has put a stop to it’s Windows Phone plans for the time being and is now instead focus only on Android devices.
Asus is still assessing Windows Phone 7. Lin says the company hasn’t yet decided how to proceed. He intends to spend the next several days at Mobile World Congress meeting with operators and gauging their interest in an Asus Windows Phone 7 device. “The operator voice will be the key factor to think of in our Windows Phone 7 strategy,” says Lin.
Nokia’s recent tie-up with Microsoft isn’t likely to affect Asus’ thinking, according to Lin. “We’re more concerned with the end user point of view, whether customers want Windows Phone 7–not with what Nokia is doing,” says Lin.
If Asus proceeds, it won’t try to resurrect its old Windows Phone 7 design. “We’ve been thinking of possible new user interfaces and hardware,” says Lin.
Toshiba is in a similar position with the TGO3 which has only been used as a Windows Phone 7 stress test device in Microsoft’s Redmond labs.
source: Forbes
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