Would You Buy a double Booting Handset with Android and Windows Phone?

Microsoft make an interesting idea to HTC

frantic times call for desperate measures, or at least for some outside the box thinking. Microsoft, for example, is struggling to promote its Windows Phone platform as a feasible alternative to Android and iOS, but so far its market share (3.7 percent) is barely a blip on the radar (though Windows Phone did surpass Black Berry for third place). Meanwhile, HTC just posted its first quarterly loss and there's little reason to think it will reverse course. Maybe the two can help each other out.

Microsoft's proposal to HTC is that it cram its Windows Phone platform alongside Android on its handsets, Bloomberg reports. As added encouragement, Microsoft is willing to drastically reduce or even eliminate its licensing fee, so the real risk would be in whether or not there would be an audience for dual OS devices, and not the cost of licensing Windows Phone.

HTC was first out of the gate with an Android phone (HTC Dream, otherwise known as the T-Mobile G1) and also the first to offer a Windows Phone handset, though it hasn't touched Windows Phone since June, nor was it planning to anytime soon.

This is an interesting proposal on a number of levels. For one, it shows how far Microsoft is willing to go to get its Windows Phone platform in front of more eyeballs. And on the consumer side, you have to wonder if a dual-booting phone would lure Android users who might be intrigued with Windows Phone, but unwilling to commit for whatever reason. Imagine if the HTC One also ran Windows Phone -- how much more popular might it be?

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Steve Ballmer Gets an additional Pay Cut After Slipping on outside

Don't sob for Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer's final year at Microsoft is one that's been wrought with challenges and a few mis steps, such as the $900 million charge the Redmond outfit took on unsold Surface records. In addition, Windows 8 sales haven't been as high as Microsoft hoped, which is mostly the result of a slumping PC market in the wake of consumers turning their attention to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Due to all this, Ballmer's pay was again cut this year, according to Microsoft's 2013 proxy statement. Don't go shedding too many tears on his behalf, however, he still raked in a healthy $1.26 million for his efforts, including $697.500 in base salary and a $500,000 bonus.

In 2012, Ballmer made $1.38 million by way of a $685,500 salary and $$682,500 salary. This year, his bonus was 79 percent of the total he was eligible for.

"The company faced challenges due to weakness in the consumer PC market. While the launch of Windows 8 in October 2012 resulted in over 100 million licenses sold, the challenging PC market coupled with the significant product launch costs for Windows 8 and Surface resulted in an 18 percent decline in Windows Division operating income," Microsoft wrote in its proxy statement. "Slower than anticipated sales of Surface RT devices and the decision to reduce prices to accelerate sales resulted in a $900 million inventory charge."

Microsoft gave credit to Ballmer for leading the company in its alteration to a devices and service firm in 2013, and for continuing to make progress in its devices and services strategy.

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