14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has made a series of changes to the list of hardware requirements it put in place for devices running under the Windows Phone platform.
Following these changes, a series of hardware components that are seen as main features of today's handsets are rendered optional, including the front and back cameras, for example.
A document dated September 23rd, 2011 found on MSDN shows that the cameras on future Windows Phone devices are optional, the same as the compass or gyroscope.
A series of other hardware components are listed there as being standard hardware inside Windows Phone devices, including support for data connectivity using cellular networks and Wi-Fi or A-GPS and Accelerometer.
At the same time, the list of standard hardware shows: - A common set of hardware controls and buttons that include the Start, Search, and Back buttons.
- A large WVGA (800 x 480) format display capable of rendering most web content in full-page width and displaying movies in widescreen.
- Capacitive 4-point multi-touch screens for quick, simple control of the phone and its features.
- 256 MB (or more) of RAM and 8 GB (or more) of flash storage.
This is not the first time that Microsoft alters the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Phone devices, but no specific explanation on what determined the company to make the move has emerged so far.
Rumor has it that Microsoft is gearing up for the release of cheaper devices on the market, and the lack of cameras, for example, could be easily explained this way.
At the same time, there is also the possibility that the platform might be loaded on devices that do not fall into the smartphone category, which would better explain why a photo snapper is only optional.
With Windows 8 tablet PCs just around the corner, we would not be surprised if Microsoft announced an even thinner line between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, just as some might have been already expecting.