HTC M8 Arrives With Windows Phone 8.1

HTC‘s dalliance with the Windows Phone operating system from Microsoft is back on the cards. The Taiwanese smartphone maker has released the HTC One (M8) running the Windows Phone mobile operating system.

But it should be noted that the Windows Phone running M8 smartphone will only be available in the United States, exclusively on the Verizon Wireless network. There is no word yet of an international release.

Windows Phone

HTC revealed that its flagship Android-based handset would be available with Windows Phone in a blog posting: “Consumers love the HTC One (M8) and today’s introduction extends that enthusiasm to new audiences hungry for choice in their mobile experience,” said Jason Mackenzie, President of HTC Americas.

HTC has worked closely with engineers from Microsoft so that the handset can offer the Windows Phone 8.1 Update, which runs on pretty much the same hardware as the Android-based handset which was launched in March. It includes a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The 5-inch, 1080p LCD screen meanwhile is wrapped in an aluminium chassis.

The Windows Phone M8 version includes HTC BlinkFeed and HTC BoomSound, as well as Duo Camera with UltraPixel technology.

And because the M8 handset runs the Windows Phone 8.1 update, it also includes Microsoft’s Cortana personal digital assistant, as well as its Action Center, Apps Corner, and Live Tiles.

“The HTC One (M8) for Windows is true to the flagship product’s award-winning design and unique experience while also taking the best of what Windows Phone has to offer,” said Darren Laybourn, corporate VP of Engineering for Microsoft. “We succeeded in offering customers the best of both our worlds with this phone.”

Android Domination

HTC has of course previously launched smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile operating system.

In February this year, it revealed it was working with Microsoft to bring the Windows 8.1 update to its 8X handset, which was launched back in 2012.

But in recent years HTC has concentrated on the Android platform, in part due to Microsoft’s close partnership with, and eventually ownership of the Nokia handset business.

But using the Android OS gives HTC a very stiff challenge indeed from the likes of Samsung.

Last month a report from Strategy Analytics revealed that Google’s Android operating system continues to completely dominate the smartphone market, after Android captured a new record of 85 percent of all smartphones shipped globally in the second quarter.

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