More Details Leak on Microsoft's (MSFT) Windows Phone 8 OS

Those waiting for the next version of Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Phone will hate the following because it gives some juicy details about what's coming...

According to the Windows fansite pocketnow.com, the following will be on the Windows 8 Mobile OS (codenamed "Apollo"):

• A theme to the Windows 8 ecosystem will be "scale and choice," according to corporate vice president and director of Windows Phone Program Management, Joe Belfiore. Apollo will have support for multicore processors, microSD card storage, and four new screen resolutions.
  
  There will be a push into contactless payments with NFC radio support.
  
  
• Becuase the mobile OS will share many of the features of the PC Windows 8, developers will be able to reuse much of their code from desktop applications and programs. Belfiore "specifically mentions the kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support as areas of heavy overlap," according to pocketnow.com.
  
  There will also be an updated version of ActiveSync and the Xbox Companion app for Windows 8.
  
  
• Rumors already suggest about 100,000 apps being developed for Windows Phone 8 at launch.
  
  
• There's chatter of app-to-app support and a revamped Skype client which "hooks" directly into the OS.
  
  
• The camera will now be controlled by "lens apps," in which Microsoft provides a basic camera interface and OEMS can skim that or overlay a third-party viewfinder.
  
  
• Another feature is DataSmart, which pocketnow.com says will reduce and simplify the tracking of data usage. Windows 8 will attempt to give WiFi connections precedence, and may connect to carrier-owned WLANs when in range.
  
  
• Windows Phone 8 will use a proxy server to feed pages to Internet Explorer, which aims to reduced data required to view websites by a claimed 30 percent.
  
  
• Bussines apps will gain BitLocker encryption, which is the same "128-bit, full-disk encryption found on Microsoft most recent desktop platforms."

Shares of Microsoft are up 0.3 percent Thursday afternoon.

---

Get immediate access to market moving news and alerts with StreetInsider.com Premium - FREE TRIAL!

You May Also Be Interested In

• Yahoo!'s (YHOO) New Browser Seeks to Challenge Google (GOOG), Gain Apple (AAPL) Users; Glitches Abound
• Bernstein Sees VMware (VMW) Multiple Contraction If Slowdown in Virtualization Market Continues
• Microsoft Announces Worldwide Finalists for Imagine Cup 2012

Create E-mail Alert Related Categories

Corporate News, Insiders' Blog

Add Your Comment

Name

Subject

Body

Verification can't see the text?
click here to refresh the image.
what's this?

Follow StreetInsider.com On Twitter