HTC is set to unveil a Windows Phone version of its flagship One M8 smartphone for Verizon, according to the latest reports.
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Engadget is reporting the first details on the phone, which has been rumored for months, via sources familiar with the device. It will rather clumsily be called "One M8 for Windows", which isn't the most marketable name for an already oddly-titled device, and is expected to hit by the end of September at the latest.
It will, obviously be running Microsoft's Windows Phone OS in place of Android. The current One M8 has won plaudits for its design and functionality in combining excellent hardware with efficient software--will the Windows version be able to do the same?
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The hardware should largely be unchanged, and only once the Windows version of the phone can be tried and tested will we know how it stacks up against the original. It should be a boon to Microsoft's efforts to take away market share from Android and iOS: the One M8 is a very good piece of hardware, and being able to boast its availability for the Windows Phone should help bring in users.
One advantage the Windows Phone version may bring, according to Engadget, is Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which is essentially HD voice communication. AT&T has launched its VoLTE service, but Verizon has yet to really get it off the ground--the One M8 for Windows may be able to help with that. Other countries have had HD voice services in place for some time now, and you can listen to how much better the quality is in the video below.
Phone sales are down in general across the industry, however, with HTC, Apple and Samsung all reporting slower business or falling short of projections. Moving the One M8 for Windows will help Microsoft and the Taiwanese manufacturer, but they are certainly facing an uphill battle at the moment.
