14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is readying for Windows Phone 8 launch that is expected to be announced sometime in June.
The first Nokia devices with the next iteration of Windows Phone are slated for Q3/Q4 2012, though all Mango-based smartphones will receive the upgrade in the form of an update.
Although we don’t have an official confirmation pointing to a June release for Windows Phone 8, it would make sense especially that Nokia has just outrun its yearly Nokia World event for September 5-6, though it was originally scheduled for September 25-26.
Today, The Oman Observer reports that, although Nokia’s presence on the market is pretty consistent thanks to the Asha series phones, the Finnish company is completely non-existent on the smartphone market.
According to Dr. Manmohan Singh Rehsi, director, Computers, Office Automation and Telecommunication division of Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC, “the Lumia series of smart phones built on the Microsoft Windows platform will hit the Omani market soon.”
He further notes that “Lumia has already launched worldwide and is doing very well towards the target of one million smart phones. Its Middle East launch is bit delayed as we are waiting for its Arabic version to come out which is expected by third quarter. That will totally change the smart phone segment in the region.”
As WMPoweruser points out, Arabic language is expected to come with Windows Phone 8, which means that the Lumia series might be launched in Oman with the new operating system out of the box.
Given the fact that Lumia series will arrive so late this year, it might wise to wait a bit more and see what other goodies Nokia prepares for Windows Phone fans. We expect the first Windows Phone 8 devices to be announced by the Finnish company in early September, with a Q4 2012 release date attached to it.