China-made Windows 8 smartphones may arrive early 2012

A Chinese company may be the first to come out with a smartphone running Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 8 in early 2012, a tech site reported. In-Technology Group (ITG) said it is working on a slimmer, lighter, and energy-efficient “xpPhone 2" that will run both Windows 7 - and Windows 8 once it is completed, CNET reported. CNET said ITG had built phones running Windows XP some years back, and another running Windows 7 earlier this year (http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20127503-1/a-windows-8-smartphone-could-be-coming-next-year/). While Windows 7 supports touch-screen inputs, Windows 8 is optimized for both desktop computers and mobile devices like tablets. The upcoming XPPhone 2 will have a 1.6-GHz processor and 2 GB of memory, as well as 112 GB of storage space to house Microsoft’s bulky Windows OS. A separate article on Engadget noted earlier xpPhone models did not appear to sell well due to their brick-like size and short battery life. “Not only has battery life been bumped up to around 18 hours of call time or 46 days on standby, but the phone’s also been slimmed down to 140mm x 73mm x 17.5mm, which is a huge improvement compared to its bulky predecessor," it said. — TJD, GMA News