Netease Mobile are reporting that Coolpad (also known as Yulong), the third largest smartphone manufacturer in China, is planning to release a Windows Phone device in the first half of 2013. Most of Coolpad's phones are sold in China, but it has recently also enjoyed success with the Quattro 4G, a low end Android handset for the MetroPCS network in the US.

Zhang Guangqian, vice president of research and developer, is quoted as saying:

"Coolpad is working on a smartphone based on the Windows Phone platform, which is expected to be unveiled in the first half of next year." 

Coolpad, which has been making mobile devices since 1993, first made its name producing PDA devices, but has since moved on to smartphones. The majority of Coolpad's current smartphone line up is running on the Android platform, but the company has previously used Windows Mobile in its devices (e.g. Coolpad F800). One of its specialities is producing dual-mode phones that combine multiple network technologies in one device (e.g. GSM and CDMA). 

Microsoft's official launch partners for Windows Phone 8, who will all be releasing Windows Phone 8 devices this year, are Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Huawei. However, a number of other companies including ZTE, Lenovo, and Acer are known to be working on Windows Phone devices to be released in 2013.

These early signs of Windows Phone 8 adoption are an encouraging sign for Microsoft, but it is worth remembering that Windows Phone 7 also enjoyed strong early support from hardware partners who later fell away (e.g. LG, Dell, Acer). Much will depend on how the latest revision to the platform is received by consumers, but how the new set of hardware partners choose to market and follow through with their Windows Phone 8 devices will also be important.

Via: winp.cn