Microsoft is expected to talk about Windows Phone 8 on June 20th at their Dev Summit, however, details about the new mobile OS have already begun to surface – in the form of leaked screenshots.
First of all, the big news – Skype will be integrated straight into Windows Phone 8 (something we’ve been waiting for ever since Microsoft acquired the VoIP expert). Skype will be integrated into the People Hub, and Skype calls can be answered with or without video.
It is not just Apple and Android that have data monitoring apps built into the OS. A DataSmart app will be brought to Windows Phone 8 that will give up-to-the-minute statistics on how much data is being used and how many more days users have left in their billing cycle. This app can be placed on the home screen for easy and seamless use. The live DataSmart tile will give real time updates.
Last but not least – Nokia Drive. Nokia Drive 3.0 will make its way to Windows Phone 8 natively. The maps application shows traffic information and is also capable of providing re-routing information if you miss a turn.
Microsoft may be the last person to enter the smartphone OS race but it certainly seems to be doing things right. Windows Phone 8 will converge devices for Microsoft, with support for Windows NT kernel giving it the ability to run more than just Metro-style apps natively, but in fact, gain wide compatibility with Windows 8 itself.
We have heard in the recent past that Samsung will announce a smartphone running Windows Phone 8 in the near future. Whether the hardware specifications are bumped up for the new Windows Phone OS still remains to be seen as the latest-gen Android smartphones have gone quad-core and the iPhone 4S too has pretty impressive specs under the hood.
Windows 8 powered devices were the highlight at Computex 2012 and we hope that Microsoft announces some integration details between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 at the Dev Summit on June 20th 2012.
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