Evidence mounts that Nokia Corp.'s Windows Phone 8 smartphoners are less than a month away. Microsoft Corp. and Nokia Corp. have begun to invite media to a press conference in New York on September 5, 2012. Separately, a vice president of Nokia said in a Twitter post that Lumia smartphones powered by Windows Phone 8 operating system were "coming soon".

Laptopmag has just received an invitation stylized for Windows Phone Metro interface to a press conference organized by Nokia and Microsoft in New York on September 5, 2012, the day when Nokia also starts its own Nokia World event in Helsinki, Finland. The press conference is set to be dedicated to Nokia Lumia smartphones, which nearly guarantees that the two companies are going to formally unveil the new breed of Lumia based on Windows Phone 8 platform. The press-conference starts at 9:30AM, therefore it should be possible for the company to talk about next-generation Lumia phones in Europe and the U.S. simultaneously.

Separately, Chris Weber, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nokia, addressed Samsung Electronics in his Twitter and teased the rival with incoming new Lumia smartphones: "Samsung, take note, next generation Lumia coming soon," he said.

It is widely believed that Microsoft Windows Phone 8 platform will be comparable with Apple iOS 6 when it comes to feature-set. Although the WP8 will still not be able to march the iOS with the number of apps, it will have capabilities that will bridge smartphones with personal computers, game consoles and media tablets, something which Windows Phone 7 and 7.5 failed to do. Therefore, it is important to show off Windows Phone 8-powered handsets ahead of Apple iOS 6 and Apple iPhone 5 so that to impress the general public.

Windows Phone 8 and the operating system for PCs will share common networking, security, media and Internet Explorer 10 web browser technology, and a common file system, which will translate in a PC user experience on a mobile phone. In addition, Windows Phone 8 will support multi-core microprocessors to boost performance and improve multitasking; higher resolution screens - 1280x768 and 1280x720; removable MicroSD cards; UEFI boot protocol to enhance security; support for encryption of the whole device; remote management; NFC wireless sharing for photos, Office docs, and contacts; Wallet application to keep debit and credit cards, coupons, boarding passes and other important info; improved maps and other useful features.

Windows Phone 8 has full C and C++ support, making it easier to write apps for multiple platforms more quickly. It also means Windows Phone 8 supports popular gaming middleware such as Havok Vision Engine, Autodesk Scaleform, Audiokinetic Wwise, and Firelight FMOD, as well as native DirectX-based game development. Since WP7-generation phones do not support C/C++, they will not run apps designed specifically for WP8 and better devices.

Windows Phone 8 will support a total of 50 languages; Windows Phone Marketplace, the store for apps and games, will support app downloads in over 180 countries.

The first wave of devices for Windows Phone 8 will arrive later this year and will come from Nokia, Huawei, Samsung and HTC, all built on next-generation Snapdragon S4 chips from Qualcomm.

Tags: Nokia, Windows Phone, Microsoft