Despite my slight sense of deja-vu after yesterday's news concerning the Windows XP running ViewSonic VCP08 phone, an anonymous source leaked some new information and images of a prototype VIA-based MID phone that not only runs Windows XP, but also Android at the same time!
The concept of the device seems to have been in existence since Computex 2009 in June, where a non-working mock-up identified as the Dr. Mobile or CCI MID with preliminary specifications was on display. The latest information and images of what seems to be a working prototype, however, indicate that the VIA MID combines two separate hardware systems: a UMPC portion running Windows XP and an independent smartphone system running Android. Detailed specifications are currently unknown apart from the MID side of things using a 500Mhz VIA processor, most likely the Nano. Previous information mentioned the use of an 800Mhz Freescale chip powering the Android portion of the device, although there is no confirmation of this in the leaked information. Unlike the ViewSonic VCP08, the VIA MID is a more conventional slider arrangement with a full QWERTY keyboard and a single screen that switches between the two operating systems.
Other unconfirmed details include a 3.8" screen (that now slides and tilts) and 1024MB of RAM. This is certainly an interesting development with the combination of simultaneously running operating systems on a single MID/smartphone and being able to seamlessly switch between the two. But at this time there are just too many questions with the lack of concrete information. I for one would be very concerned about the battery life implications of running two separate hardware/OS systems at the same time!
What we know for sure is that the Windows XP smartphone space is definitely getting more crowded and interesting!
