Microsoft Details a Bit of Windows Phone 8.1, Will Run on Existing Snapdragon-powered Android Hardware

While we may not be the biggest fans of Windows Phone at DL, this news affects many folks who like to enjoy a taste of everything from different companies. This week at MWC, Microsoft listed out a few details for the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 release, stating that the OS could be flashed to any existing Android hardware, as long as it was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, 400, or 400 LTE chipset. 

While the idea is great for consumers, Microsoft wanted to make sure users were aware that dual-booting the two would be unsupported, though. And for those looking to pull some ROM flashing trickery through developer forums, Microsoft also said that would not be possible.

In addition to just running on Android hardware, Windows Phone 8.1 would bring support for moving applications to an SD card, which is important for budget devices with less onboard storage. Microsoft also announced that 8.1 would remove the requirement for hardware to feature capacitive buttons and a dedicated physical camera button, meaning that Windows Phone will now support onscreen buttons. If you ask us Android-lovin’ folk, that’s a step in the right direction.

Windows Phone 8.1 is scheduled for launch sometime this Spring, with Microsoft’s Build conference happening on April 2.

Via: PC Mag

This post was last modified on February 26, 2014 7:43 am