Asked for comment on Microsoft’s upcoming dual-screen, Android-powered Surface Duo smartphone, here’s what we got from a Google spokesperson: “We are excited to welcome Microsoft to the Android ecosystem. We look forward to working together to bring the best of both companies to users.”
Translation: “We won.”
Ever since Microsoft slunk out of the smartphone market, we’ve been waiting to see what the company’s mobile strategy under CEO Satya Nadella would be. The answer for Microsoft is to win at the app and services layer instead of the operating system layer.
It’s possible to make a Microsoft-ified Android phone right now if you like. Install Office and Outlook, Microsoft’s launcher, and connect it up to OneDrive. The company won’t own…