Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8 - Start Screen

Microsoft’s big Windows Phone 8 event wrapped up last week with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer taking the stage to announce all of the new Windows Phone 8 devices and when they will launch.

“We wanted to build a phone that would be personal for each of us,” said Ballmer. To that end, he showed off a variety of Windows Phone 8 smartphones from HTC, Nokia, and Samsung.

He began by showing off Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920. Ballmer was present at an announcement earlier this year when Nokia announced its new lineup of Lumia smartphones. The Samsung ATIV S came next, then the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

Ballmer then announced that these phones, and others, will begin launching starting this weekend. In the U.S., three of the major wireless carriers will be carrying windows phone, with Sprint the major carrier that wasn’t mentioned at the event.

In addition to being sold through carriers, Microsoft Stores will carry every Windows Phone 8 smartphone available in the U.S., and all color options for these devices will be available through the online Microsoft Store.

Smart Features:

Xbox SmartGlass allows control of an Xbox 360 with a phone (Available for Windows Phone, iOS and Android)
Xbox Music and Xbox Video services support playback of video and audio files in Windows Phone, as well as music purchases.
Easy transfers
Native code support (C and C++), allows for simplified porting from platforms such as Android, Symbian, and iOS
Simplified porting of Windows 8 apps to Windows Phone 8 (compatibility with Windows 8 Metro apps)
Remote device management of Windows Phone similar to management of Windows PCs
VoIP and video chat integration for any VoIP or video chat app (integrates into the phone dialer, people hub)
Firmware over the air for Windows Phone updates
Minimum 18 month support of Windows Phone updates to Windows Phone 8 devices
Camera app now supports "lenses", which allow third parties to skin and add features to camera interface
Native screen capture is added by pressing home and power buttons simultaneously

Windows Phone 8 minimum device requirements
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor
Minimum 512MB RAM for WVGA phones; minimum 1GB RAM for 720p / WXGA
Minimum 4GB flash memory
GPS and A-GNSS; GLONASS is supported if OEMs decide to include it
Support for micro-USB 2.0
3.5mm stereo headphone jack with three-button detection support
Rear-facing AF camera with LED or Xenon flash, optional front-facing camera (both need to be VGA or better) and dedicated camera button
Accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors, as well as vibration motor (magnetometer and gyroscope are optional)
802.11b/g and Bluetooth (802.11n is optional)
DirectX graphics hardware support with hardware acceleration for Direct3D using programmable GPU
Multi-touch capacitive touch screen with minimum of four simultaneous points

HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 820 running Windows Phone 8

Sources:  Wikipedia, Webpronews