Watchful eyes have caught a Microsoft patent application for a souped-up smartphone cradle that displaces the PC for connecting to networks, peripherals ,and storage. Smartphones have become nearly as powerful as desktop computers were just a few years ago, and it makes sense for Microsoft to leverage their capabilities in an innovative new way.

The docking cradle plays PC and interfaces between smartphones and peripherals, handling drivers on the smartphone’s behalf and interpreting commands sent to and from it. To accomplish that task, the cradle has an embedded operating system, and contains its own CPU and memory.

If Microsoft were to try and turn this patent into a product, has several options to choose from for the cradle’s embedded OS. In one bucket, there is the Windows XP embedded family, and Windows CE 6.0 based offerings in the other. That does not include Microsoft’s .NET Micro Framework, which is developed by a separate product group.

In my view, the cradle could serve as an onramp for the Windows ecosystem, and entice laggards that would otherwise be reluctant to buy a computer to invest in a smartphone. It would also advance portability, because anyone with a compatible smartphone could conceivably dock their devices with the cradle and be up and running within minutes. Personal preferences and files could also be synchronized via Web services.

Should Microsoft follow through, it might create its own cradle, but will probably license the design out to hardware partners. The latter strategy would allow for a variety of phones to be supported.

 
1 Comment


Read more: Microsoft, Patents, Smartphones