14 DAY TRIAL // The fact that Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is gearing up for the release of their first handsets running under the Windows Phone platform is no mystery, but nothing was known on the exact timing and availability of these devices until now.
However, it appears that the company might have its first Windows Phones headed for shelves in a number of six European markets as soon as this year, with more to follow afterwards.
Initially, the company's new devices will arrive on the market in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
Victor Saeijs, vice president of Nokia Europe, was the one to confirm the initial availability of Nokia Windows Phones, during the 2011 Mobile Telecompaper conference.
Reportedly, he confirmed during the said event that the company plans on making its phones available for purchase in the Netherlands as well, in addition to the other five initial countries mentioned above.
The Netherlands is one of the most important smartphones market in Europe, with over 80 percent of the mobile phone market in the country being comprised of these smart devices.
In 2011, in addition to Symbian-powered Nokia phones, users in the country will also have the possibility to purchase new Nokia handsets running under Windows Phone.
This year, the Finnish handset vendor is expected to launch more than just one phone powered by Microsoft's mobile operating system, but mass production will not start until next year.
In 2012, Nokia should start volume shipping of Windows Phone devices, and is expected to launch over a dozen of them.
The company will release both high-end Windows Phone handsets, as well as mid-level phones, so as to provide more users with access to Microsoft's platform.
Unfortunately, no specific info on what these devices will be all about has emerged until now, but some of the latest reports on the matter suggested that we should see impressive new products being released soon.