HTC eyes own smartphone OS

Taiwan smartphone maker HTC is considering buying an operating system (OS), including HP's discontinued WebOS, although it is not in a hurry to do so. HTC chairwoman Cher Wang, stressed the firm —many of whose products run Google's Android OS— will not buy an OS on impulse, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. "We have given it thought and we have discussed it internally, but we will not do it on impulse," Wang said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China, as reported by UK-based The Register. On the other hand, The Register said HTC has had a close relationship with Microsoft for years, pushing Windows as a smartphone platform. But The Register said that while HTC had produced Microsoft's first entry into the smartphone market, mMicrosoft is in an alliance with Finland's Nokia. Also, it said Android’s success has proved too tempting for the company to ignore. Google, which owns Android —the OS many HTC products now use— had recently acquired Motorola Mobility Inc. (MMI). Wang said Google's acquisition of MMI was the right move due to its many patents, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported. "We can use any OS we want. We are able to make things different from our rivals on the second or third layer of a platform. Our strength lies in understanding an OS, but it does not mean that we have to produce an OS," Wang said. Other options The Register said Nokia’s MeeGo platform is also a possibility, as Wang praised Nokia’s research and development staff for their smartphone work although she criticised its management for being too slow in developing smartphones. — TJD, GMA News