Samsung Ativ Q

Microsoft is courting HTC for more Windows Phone smart phones, which could serve up Windows Phone 8 alongside Android.

Bloomberg reports that Microsoft wants HTC to add Windows Phone "as a second option on handsets" and is even considering not charging HTC to use the software.

That probably means expanding HTC's range of Windows Phones, but if we let our imagination run away with us it could mean choosing which OS you want when you first buy a new phone, or even phones that dual-boot both Android and Windows Phone.

That's not an entirely crazy idea: other devices already dual-boot Android and Windows, such as the Samsung Ativ Q hybrid laptop.

But dual-booting between Android and full-blown Windows makes sense because tablets and hybrid laptops offer Android for quick tasks while on the go, and Windows for more involved tasks. But dual-booting between two mobile phone operating systems is less useful.

HTC currently makes Windows Phones like the HTC 8X. Yet Windows Phone is still mostly associated with Nokia -- Microsoft is even buying Nokia -- while other manufacturers are hedging their bets by punting Windows Phone only as an alternative to the Android phones that are their bread and butter.

That said, a change of direction might be just what HTC needs: its early success with Android has dwindled, to the point the Taiwanese company has posted its first ever loss.

Should HTC get behind Windows Phone? Can Windows Phone mount a serious challenge to Android and the iPhone? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.