Windows 8 phone, codenamed: ‘Apollo’ detailed

We loved the last range of Windows phones from the ever-hopeful Nokia, namely the Lumia range. Windows 8 phones though, are hotter than the surface of the sun and twice as sexy as a champagne bubble bath filled with supermodels.

This site has managed to eke out a full list of features which the new Windows 8 phones will be rolled out with. The platform has been clandestinely named “Apollo” by Windows Phone manager Joe Belifore who says, “The overarching theme with regards to the Windows 8 Phone hardware ecosystem will be scale and choice.” Translation: there will be expensive and less-expensive phones to pick and choose from.

Feature filled phones

There will be a total of four new screen resolutions (nothing was made specific), dual-core CPU’s, MicroSD support, and thankfully NFC is back in town. Nokia curiously dropped NFC from the Lumia line of smartphones, but will be welcomed back in Apollo.

App porting from desktop to mobile should be a breeze, as Windows 8 phones will share many of the key functions of the kernel found in the grown-up version of Windows 8.

And Skype, the US$8.5-billion purchase by Microsoft is finally being put to good use. Supposedly, Skype will be “deeply integrated” into the new Apollo OS at such a layer that the user will not be able to distinguish between VoIP calls and analogue calls. Microsoft’s words, not mine.

Further details are outlined below:

• Zune desktop integration is gone, an as yet unnamed synching app is in
• A camera app which now supports “lenses”, third parties can now add features such as “skins” to the photo app
• Automatic connection to carrier-owned hotspots
• Bitlocker encryption will now be natively supported in Apollo
• Skydrive will be deeply integrated into the devices
• A possible “wallet” akin to the Google Wallet may be included, this is dependent on the network operator

Watch out for Windows 8 phones, coming soon.