California-based multinational information technology corporation Hewlett-Packard yesterday confirmed that it would not release the phones with Microsoft's latest mobile software- the Windows 7. Talking to CNBC, HP Senior Executive Todd Bradley said that his company would use WebOS, the mobile operating system, which HP acquired after buying Palm, on smartphones. Bradley confirmed that HP would not sell any Windows Phone 7-based devices in the near future.
HP’s decision should not come as a surprise as it will definitely try hard to push Palm’s OS because the company has spent $1.2 billion to acquire Palm. But, HP’s decision must have come as a setback for Microsoft because HP is the software giant's biggest customer and the news that HP would not support the launch of its new mobile software later this year must force Microsoft to think of an alternative strategy to sell its software and make it popular at global level.
Rumors are strong that the software giant has other big names in smartphones signed up: Dell, Asus, LG, HTC, and Samsung. But we know that Google’s Android is emerging as the leading mobile OS and now HP’s decision to push its WebOS means that Microsoft's offering for mobile isn't liked by hardware makers much now.
Bradley however, added that HP would build a tablet PC with Windows 7. Earlier, HP had announced that it was planning to launch WebOS run tablets. HP was granted a trademark on the term "PalmPad" recently fueling speculation that the company is all set to release an iPad-like device in future.
