Microsoft launches OneApp for feature phones in emerging markets

Today Microsoft announced the launch of a new application and service called OneApp. OneApp consists of a small application and a set of Microsoft "cloud services" that enable a feature phone to access web services like Twitter, Facebook, and Windows Live Messenger without needing the processing power of a smartphone. Microsoft’s servers handle the heavy lifting and send only the required bits of data to the user’s phone. This has the effect of reducing data use as well as speeding up the overall user experience.

Microsoft says that the base OneApp application for features phones requires only 150KB of storage on the phone, which makes it viable for a wide variety of handsets. The individual OneApp modules for each supported service are only downloaded and installed as the user needs them, and most are no larger than 30KB in size.

Microsoft also says that OneApp support will make it easier for developers to build applications for feature phones, since an app need only be developed once for OneApp and it will then run on a very wide variety of phones as a result.

Microsoft has developed the OneApp system with an eye towards emerging markets, where a cell phone might be a person’s only real computer access. South Africa’s Blue Label Telecom will be the first carrier offer OneApp, making it available to its "mibli" subscribers in the coming weeks.

[Source: Mobileburn]