<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Microsoft is reportedly courting HTC with a range of incentives to use its Windows Phone platform, including the possibility of dual-booting smartphones, in a bid to beef up its market share and challenge Android and iOS.\r\n\r\nBloomberg reports that, in addition to discussing &amp;quot;cutting or eliminating the license fee&amp;quot; required to use Windows Phone, Microsoft is willing to let HTC add Windows Phone as a secondary operating system on its Android-based smartphones. It's not clear whether that would create dual-boot devices, or if Microsoft would require Windows Phone to override Android on existing models.\r\n\r\nTalks are said to be &amp;quot;preliminary,&amp;quot; with operating systems head\u00A0Terry Myerson planning a visit to Taiwan to discuss the proposal in more detail. In addition, outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer visited China last week in a bid to secure licensing deals with new partners, as the company looks to avoid a situation in which Nokia -- which Microsoft is in the process of acquiring -- is the sole Windows Phone partner.\r\n\r\nAs a company that has produced both Windows Phone and Android devices, it seems logical that HTC would be a target that Microsoft is aggressively pursuing -- particularly in light of HTC recording its first-ever quarterly loss. Struggling to win market share, a Windows Phone-Android device could provide some differentiation on the competition -- but it's unclear if it would appeal to consumers.\r\n\r\nWindows Phone's share of the smartphone market is said to be close to 10 percent in a number of European markets, but that figure is as low as 3 percent in the US.\r\n\r\nHeadline image via\u00A0AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2013/10/04/htc-could-add-windows-as-a-second-option-on-its-android-devices-according-to-bloomberg/>