Microsoft is releasing a phone application platform for emerging markets -- South Africa is first -- that will let owners of so-called "feature phones" (non-smartphones) run some smartphone apps by hosting them in the cloud.

Called OneApp, the platform has both client and server components. The client code that runs on the feature phone is tiny, only 150 KB. The server components run as "cloud services that help offload processing and storage from the phone to the Internet, improving overall performance," according to Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) statements.

Feature phones make up the majority of the most popular mobile phones used in emerging markets. However, while they may have some smartphone-type features, such as a built-in camera, FM radio, and browser, they generally lack the memory and processor power, as well as an operating system, capable of running more demanding smartphone applications.

OneApp aims to change that. Get the full story here at InternetNews.com