Microsoft's working on Windows Phone 'Tango' for budget phones

With only a few days to go before WP7 Mango is officially unveiled, rumours are rife about Microsoft being hard at work on a ‘stripped down’ version of the OS, code named ‘Tango’. I was expecting another fruit, but I guess something that rhymes works just as well. The OS will be used for lower-end handsets with slower hardware, targeted specifically at developing markets. With the current line-up of WP7 devices being quite expensive due to strict restrictions from Microsoft, it’s about time they released something cheaper for the masses to expand their market share. Google had the foresight when it launched Android, which is why you’ll see an Android handset in almost all price brackets. Microsoft better hurry if they wish to make an impact on the consumer.

Budget WP7 device?

These rumours started from a Hong Kong-based website ‘We Love Windows Phone’, which described Tango being designed for low-cost hardware. Apparently, all this information was further confirmed at a Microsoft seminar in Hong Kong.  Another rumour going around is that the software giant is also working on the next major update to Mango, code named ‘Apollo’. Microsoft needs this break, if it wants to tap into Google’s market share.