Windows devices running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon ARM-based processors are inching closer to a retail store near you. Microsoft[1] this week said that it was in the latter stages of testing such mobile PCs.
In an interview with ZDNet, Pete Bernard, group program manager for Windows expressed his excitement about the Windows on ARM project, adding[2] that the company is testing "hundreds" of these mobile PCs in its offices on a daily basis. "The PC space and the phone space have been sort of in parallel universes for a couple of decades... what two better companies to bring those worlds together than Microsoft and Qualcomm?" he said.
A Qualcomm executive said this was one of the most exciting projects the chipmaker has been working on. At present, the companies are also testing these devices with mobile operators. "We have been engaged with a lot of mobile operators... talking about not only strategically where does this fit into the portfolio and opportunities it brings them, but tactically how do we get these things into the market and into people's hands," he said.
These mobile PCs will feature an embedded SIM to enable simple activation of the device. The device will have an "always-on" connectivity as well. As an individual customer, you would want be excited about these mobile PCs as well.
First, these devices are expected to hit the market as soon as December, according[3] to TrustedReviews. Second, these devices will have an amazing battery life. Microsoft is promising multi-day battery life for instance.
Microsoft's Bernard said several executives at the company are using this mobile PCs already. He said, he was pleasantly surprised when some of these executives said there was something wrong with the...