ITG xpPhone 2 Runs on Windows 8

In terms of hardware specs, the xpPhone 2 appears to be more like a netbook packed into a smartphone form factor, and will feature a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 2GB of RAM, 112GB of SSD storage, a 4.3” display and is said to be compatible with both Windows 7 and Windows 8. It also claims to be capable of handling up to 18.5 hours worth of talk time on a single charge.

ITG claims that they favor Windows over more mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS, Windows Phone, MeeGo, etc simply because a greater range of software is available, although with both the iTunes App Store and Android Market brimming with all sorts of apps, perhaps ITG is going with a more enterprise crowd with their xpPhone 2. No word on pricing but the handset is expected to be made available in January of 2012.

As to the improvements under the hood, the xpPhone 2 features a dead-end 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor and 2GB of RAM, which shouldn't give you any headaches running the aforementioned operating systems. Its display measures at 4.3-inch diagonal, but it remains to be seen what its resolution will be, as Windows 8 is said to require at least 1024 x 768 at minimum. And to be honest, we can't quite figure out who'd prefer this wanna-be-a-tablet-and-smartphone instead of a full-fledged tablet running Windows 8 natively.

The battery has also been beefed up, as ITG reports it'll handle up to 18 hours of talk time and 46 days of standby. If you remember, the xpPhone weighed just about 400grams, so this one might have gone through some diet, but don't hold you breath on not breaking your wrist every time you reach for it. Expect the ITG xpPhone 2 to hit shelves in January with Windows 8 coming at a later date. Price is still unknown, though.