Earlier this week, Nokia announced two new Symbian handsets, the X7 and the E6. Microsoft also had some news of its own, finally offering up details on its upcoming Mango update for the Windows Phone 7, which promises a slew of upgrades for the line. And now we’re getting a glimpse at what could be the first Nokia Windows Phone 7 devices.
Engadget reports that Eldar Murtazin, a Russian blogger you could call a Nokia enthusiast and often the first to leak tech news, claims that the Nokia W7 and W8 will be the manufacturer’s first go at Windows Phone OS. First a little background on Murtazin: Last summer, Nokia took legal action against him for possession of “unauthorized Nokia property.” Apparently, Murtazin had been able to gain inside access to the company, and Nokia worried he was not only using the devices for write ups for his website, Mobile Review, but to work as a consultant for outside tech companies. So it’s safe to say that this man does have some sort of insider knowledge of Nokia, and it can also probably be assumed he’s a rumor-monger. Nonetheless, he’s been right about many other projections, so his claims are worth a read. Murtazin says both the W7 and W8 will come packaged with Qualcomm chipsets, and that we’re likely to see the W7 first. This model is supposed to have an 8-megapixel AF camera with flash. He also compares the W7’s design to the HTC Mozart, and that the W8 is an “N8 variant.”
And Nokia won’t stop there. Apparently the company has a slew of WP7 handsets (12, according to Murtazin) planned for next year, including a more affordable model with a lower quality touchscreen.
He also mentions that Symbian will die a slow death over the coming year. Production focus will, unsurprisingly, align with WP7 and he speculates that 6,000 Symbian developers will be leaving Nokia.
