Microsoft seams to be on a role following their announcement of the Microsoft Surface tablet at the special event which took place a couple of days ago.
Now the folks at Redmond are getting set to reveal another well kept secret – Windows Phone 8 (aka Apollo) and it happens on June 20.

The event is set to to kick off at 9 AM PST(12 NOON EST) and we will be bringing you live coverage of the event as it takes place.

Windows Phone 8 is set to be a controversial update with rumors suggesting that current generation handsets wont be treated to it. This would frustrate users of devices like the Nokia Lumia 900 which was only recently released in the U.S.. The update is expected to share the Windows 8 kernel thus allowing developers to easily port applications between the two platforms.

You can also follow the event through Microsoft’s Live Stream here.

Microsoft has open registrations for the Windows Phone Summit which is scheduled to take place on June 20 in San Francisco.

The event was initially expected to span two days but has seemingly been reduced to a single day event.

The new invitation which is being sent out states that Microsoft will be offering “ a sneak peel of the future of Windows Phone” which suggests that we may get a glimpse of Windows Phone 8 Apollo at the summit.



While we don’t know the extent of what Microsoft has in store for us, the biggest question we want answered is whether current generation devices will receive the Apollo update.

Rumors thus far suggest an NT kernel, Bitlocker and Secure Boot support, an improved Skype client, DataSmart – which will help monitor and conserver data use, new connectivity with Windows PCs, NFC support, removable microSD storage, multi-core processors, new form factors and new screen resolutions. Current generation Windows Phone apps are expected to work on Windows Phone 8.

If you are interested in attending the Windows Phone Summit you can register (RSVP) here. Those who haven't received an invite can follow a live stream on the given date.

Currently there is very little we know about Windows Phone 8 (Apollo), only that it will be greatly based on the Windows 8 kernel, thus bringing a closer bond with Microsoft’s desktop platform. However the one simple question on everyone’s mind is if Microsoft will bring Windows Phone 8 to current generation Windows Phones. Paul Thurrott says - No.



This report comes a day after a report suggested that Microsoft was testing Windows Phone 8 on the Lumia 800 and even the Lumia 610. Thurrott insists that there is no chance of Microsoft bringing the latest version of Windows Phone to current generation handsets and sites the following reasons.

• The current Windows Phone ecosystem being too small. He states that since there are just 20 million handsets sold to date the economics of bringing Windows Phone 8 to those handsets are not worth the cost.
• Hardware not powerful enough to support Windows 8 kernel on current hardware.
• Carriers will “never, ever, ever, ever deliver this update to users”

Personally we found this report and explanation quite disturbing. Microsoft spent the last few months pushing windows phone in huge campaigns. Especially through Nokia and it’s Lumia series. AT&T joined the bandwagon and started a monumental campaign selling Nokia’s flagship the Lumia 900.

Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop went on to say how Windows Phones don’t need multi core processors because of the superiority of the underlying OS.

Nokia even sent out free Lumia handsets to developers to win them over to the Windows Phone platform.

The first point of their being just 20 million handsets sold, refers to the 20 million customers who stuck by Windows Phone knowing that it was still far behind iOS and Android and trusting the OEM’s to deliver an experience that would make it worth their while. So is Microsoft going to tell the 20 million who purchased their handsets to forget them and move on to their new operating system ? Unless Microsoft or Nokia are planning to give away 20 million free handsets to these users I would be surprised if any one of them decide to sell a newly purchased device in favor of a newly released platform.

Regarding the hardware limitation, This would Microsoft and Nokia huge hypocrites. After boasting how well Windows Phone performs on single cores and publicizing how superior Windows 8 performs on legacy hardware I can’t imagine that the same company would state that Windows Phone 8 wont perform on existing hardware. If it is unable to perform, maybe Microsoft has to go back into the drawing board to make it work.

The last point of carriers not providing the update should make anyone who purchased a Nokia Lumia 900 walk back into AT&T and return their device for an iOS or an Android handset. AT&T has been pushed to sell the Lumia 900 as Nokia’s big comeback. Currently the handset is reported to be doing extremely well in the U.S. because of this. I can’t imagine how betrayed a customer would feel if they are told that the device they have just purchased will be left out of the next big update because it was outdated.

So on behalf of all Windows Phone users out there. This one is for Microsoft, Nokia and all Windows Phone manufacturers and partners. Your platform success is due to the current user base… Stand by your slogan that Windows Phone ‘puts people first’ and bring Windows Phone 8 to all Windows Phones.

Recent reports on Windows Phone 8 (Apollo) making its way to current Windows Phone devices have been contradictory. While some suggested that the current Windows Phone handsets like the Nokia Lumia 900 will be updated to Apollo others suggested that Microsoft and OEMs will have a whole new series of handsets and hardware specifications to run the next generation of Windows Phone.

However new reports suggest that the latest version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system is being tested on Lumia handsets including the Nokia Lumia 800 and even the Nokia Lumia 610.


Windows Phone is known to perform extremely well on lower hardware specifications compared to it’s Android and Windows Phone counterparts. We currently have no idea what specifications Microsoft has set for their next Windows Phone iteration but we hope that it will be more than capable to perform on current generation Windows Phone hardware.

However Microsoft plans to bring multi core support, NFC and many other features including to their next mobile OS. So we hope that Windows Phone 8 will shape itself to suit various mobile hardware similar to Windows 8 which is capable of supporting very basic hardware specifications.

For now since these are just rumors we will treat them as such, until Microsoft shares some solid information on the platform’s future.


source - WPCentral

Now that Windows Phone Mango is now upon us, its time to look to what Microsoft has in store next, and that is Windows Phone Apollo. The next version of Windows Phone is due to be released sometime between the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter of 2012.

This news comes from Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Location and Commerce - Michael Halbherr. He also said that Apollo will be a "very different game" when compared to Mango.  This makes us wonder if Apollo will be a major release Windows Phone 8 instead of an interim release as it was first rumored to be.



Apollo is rumored to bring support for dual-core processors, which iOS 5 and Android 4.0 already do. While Halbherr didnt make a reference to dual core support he also hinted that NFC (Near Field Communication) and better compatibility with Nokia's Navteq mapping platform were features which should be in the works for Windows Phone Apollo.

The Nokia Microsoft partnership may be the most important element in giving Windows Phone a fighting chance against the Android - iOS dominance. But with the head start that their competitors have, Microsoft has to work overtime to even play catch up let alone get passed their competitors.