14 DAY TRIAL // Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is expected to come to the market with its first handset powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system in about one year from now, which would place the release in the first quarter of 2012 at the latest. Last month, the handset vendor announced plans to adopt Microsoft's mobile operating system as the main platform for its devices, but did not commit to a specific release date for the first such mobile phone.
However, the company did say that they are aiming at launching the first such smartphone before the end of the ongoing year, most probably in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Recently, Nokia India's Managing Director and Vice President for Sales, Mobile Phones, D. Shivakumar, reportedly confirmed the company's aim to make the said device available in 12 months' time.
This would place the release either in Q4 2011, or in the first quarter of the next year.
If we're to guess, based on the company's history, we would say that the handset might be unveiled sometime in Q4 2011, while being expected to arrive on shelves the next quarter.
The collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft should prove beneficial for both companies.
Microsoft, for example, would gain a lot of market share, since Nokia plans on replacing Symbian devices in its offering with Windows Phone ones, something that the platform desperately needs.
As for Nokia, it should be able to lure users with new and appealing devices based on Windows Phone, something that older handsets, powered by Symbian, might have not been able to do.
At the same time, the company should be able to regain some of the market share it lost lately to rivals in both the handset segment and in the operating system area.
To do so, however, the company would need to come up with its first Windows Phone handset as fast as possible. Having the smartphone announced before the end of the year would prove a great move for the company, that's for sure.
As stated above, the company did not commit to a specific release date for the launch of a Nokia Windows Phone as of yet, but it should do so in the coming months. Stay tuned for more on this.