Microsoft with the Windows Phone 8.1 update has doubled down on expanding the reach of the Windows Phone ecosystem. Recently, it partnered with Micromax for the Canvas Win line of Windows Phones and now Lava owned Xolo has jumped on the bandwagon.
Xolo has unveiled the Xolo Win line up and the first device is the Q900s and has a price of Rs.11,999 and will be available in July. As of now, the phone is available for pre-orders with online retailers for Rs.9,999.
The phone touts similar specs as the Micromax Canvas Win W121. It has a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor built on the ARM Cortex A7 architecture. There is 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, dual-SIM slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and will have 3G connectivity.
On the back there is a 8-megapixel camera and the front has a 2-megapixel sensor. It's 4.7-inch IPS display has a 720p resolution, delivering 316 pixels per inch. It also has a decent 1,800mAh battery.
It compares favourably with the Canvas Win W121 in terms of specifications. The only downside is that it's a little more expensive than it. That said, Xolo has a penchant for better build quality than Micromax, so that premium should be taken into account, however we have not seen the phone so we can't be totally sure.
Of late, we are seeing many local vendors jump onto the Windows Phone platform as Microsoft has eliminated the licensing fee that it used to charge. Microsoft made this announcement at its BUILD developer conference in April.
Many of these devices are possible because of the turnkey solution Qualcomm and Microsoft have developed that allows Android vendors to port their Android phones to Windows Phone.
Google is taking steps to counteract Microsoft's moves. Earlier in the week the search giant announced the Android One program<http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/google-announce-android-one-smartphone/1/368567.html> where it plans on providing turnkey solutions to vendors in emerging markets providing the hardware specs and also being directly responsible for the Android OS and its updates.
The plan is to provide high-quality devices that cost less than $100, something similar to what Microsoft is trying to achieve with Windows Phone.
Google has already announced Micromax, Karbonn and Spice as its partners for this program in India. It will later expand the program to other parts of the world, so the battle between Android and Windows Phone will become really interesting at the low-end of the market.
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