Microsoft has officially released its Windows Phone 8 OS, just a few days after the launch of Windows 8 for desktop and tablets – but if youre hoping to get your hands on a WP8 smartphone, youre going to have to wait a little longer.
There arent currently any WP8 handsets available. The first, the HTC Windows Phone 8X, will launch in the UK and Europe this Friday, 2 November.
The rest of the world will follow over the course of November, with a wider range of handsets from various manufacturers – including the Nokia 920, probably the flagship WP8 device, which will be available exclusively on EE in the UK, at least initially.
Whats next?
WP8 has long been touted as a possible third contender in the smartphone market, alongside iOS and Android, essentially filling the gap left by BlackBerrys recent descent. As well as Microsoft, Nokia seems to have its hopes pinned on the OSs success.
Of course, if WP8 is to be a success, app developers are going to have to get behind the platform en masse. A lot of the usual suspects are already there – including Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds, Temple Run, and Pandora in the US – but it all really depends on developers continued support of the platform as a viable option, in a way that hasnt happened with WP7. 
Feature set
As for unique selling points, meanwhile, the San Francisco launch event saw Microsoft reveal a handful of features – perhaps the most interesting of which is Data Sense, which helps users cut down on their mobile data usage. As well as offering guidance and analytics of data usage, the OS features technology which apparently compresses the amount of mobile data being sent.
There are also a series of family-orientated functions, including Kids Corner – which enables parents to control what aspects of the phone theyd like their children to have access to – and Rooms – which are shared environments for syncing calendars, notes, photos and the rest.
Microsoft also showed off Internet Explorer 10, saying it was seven times faster than the WP7 version, and the fastest on any mobile device. Its also integrating always-on VOIP functionality from Skype – understandably, as it owns the company – with room for other services to take advantage of this.
